Intelligent Conversation
by Scarlett8
Summary: All Hermione wants is an intelligent conversation, when Dumbledore makes her plan a school ball with Snape is that what she'll get? Or will it be more? HGSS AU after OOTP, HBP, and DH.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing, JK Rowling owns everything. Of course, she doesn't own the books that I mention, although she probably does own a copy of them…I digress, anyway, I don't own Pride and Prejudice, or Jane Eyre or anything else that I mention that you might recognize. If I did then I would be off making money or spending money, not writing this fanfic.

A/N: Yes, I really should be working on my two other stories. I swear I haven't forgotten about them, it's just that I had to write this! It's been on my mind forever it seems so forgive me but I really will update Babysitting With the Dragon and Room of Requirement. Just give me a week, two tops!

"I swear Blaise, if you don't get off of me this bloody moment, I shan't regret hexing you into oblivion!" Hermione shouted as she tried to pry the drunken boy off of her. 

"With what hands, pray-tell?" He chuckled as he looked up at her hands that he had pinned against a tree. He smiled as he tried to kiss her again.

Hermione knew he wasn't going to go very far, meaning that he wasn't going to rape her. Even this damn Slytherin had some sense of decency but clearly not enough as she was trying to fight him off of her before his drunken lips actually touched hers. 

"Oh, come on Granger, I'm not that bad! A lot of other girls would actually like this chance."

"Well then why don't you terrorize one of them?" 

He merely smiled and tried to kiss her once again.

"For the millionth time, get off of me!" She screamed in frustration. If only she could get to her wand in her pocket.

"Mr. Zabini, will you kindly let go of Miss Granger?"

Even though he was drunk, Blaise still had enough sense to let go of Hermione in haste, seeing the cold look in Professor Snape's eyes. 

"I-I," Blaise stuttered. 

"No need to explain, I heard everything. Two months of detention with Filch and thirty house points. Now go."

Before Snape could stop her, Hermione had her wand out and was putting hexes on Blaise left and right. Blaise just stood there in shock, until he was knocked on his back by a rather powerful hex that was shouted at the top of Hermione's voice. 

Snape looked in shock at Hermione, not really knowing what to do. She was always the one having to control Weasley and Potter, not the other way around.

Snape suddenly came out of his reverie enough to realize that he needed to stop Hermione. He placed a sealing charm on her mouth to get her to stop shouting hexes at Zabani; he then said all the incantations to take the hexes off.

"Go Zabini, before I let Granger go on you again." 'He would deserve it if I did,' Snape thought in the back of his mind.

"Did I stutter, Zabini?" Snape asked in a cold voice that reeked with disdain when Blaise didn't move a muscle. "Go back to your dorm before you get into any more trouble."

Blaise literally ran from Snape's intimidating gaze. Snape watched him go and then turned to the girl behind him and released the charm on her lips.

Hermione was leaning heavily on the tree where she was standing and looked like she was in shock over the events that had just happened. If Ron or Harry had been there they would've killed Blaise, but unfortunately they were sound asleep in their beds. She shuddered thinking about Blaise's hands on her body, she grimaced and slid down onto the ground, ungracefully plopping herself against the tree, hands slightly shaking. She was afraid that she was going to start crying and if there was anyone in the world she didn't want to cry in front of it would be Professor Snape. She wondered what would happen to her, she had done as she'd promised she'd hexed Blaise practically into oblivion.

"Bastard." Snape heard her whisper to herself. 

He chose to ignore her profanity, acknowledging the fact that most other girls would have used a lot more obscene words in this scenario. "Miss Granger, I suggest you get back to your room."

Hermione didn't even acknowledge that he spoke. 

"Did you hear me?" He asked coldly.

"Yes."

"Aren't you going to get up?" He said, getting more irritated by the moment.

"No."

"Have you forgotten who you are speaking to?"

"No," she looked up at him for the first time. "I'm just past caring at the moment." A tear began to form in the corner of her eye and slowly started making it's way down her cheek. She angrily swiped it away. 

Snape stood staring at her. For once, he couldn't rebuke her for being upset since she actually had a valid reason for her tears. He felt uncomfortable, having never been in this sort of situation before. He was terrible at comforting people, let alone a teenage girl.

Hermione slowly stood up. She stood for a moment with her face turned away from him and her hand braced by the tree. 

"What caused you to walk around outside after hours?"

"I couldn't sleep." She said simply.

"So you went traipsing through the grounds?" 

Hermione chose not to answer. She shivered violently and started to walk to the castle looking only straight ahead, just wanting to get into her warm bed. All of a sudden she saw Snape's hand jut out into her vision. She looked over at him and took his cloak that he offered to her. After the cloak had left his hand, Severus Snape looked forward again and glared at the castle ahead of him.

Hermione wrapped the cloak around her front, not putting it on properly since her arms and face was colder than her back. She put the cloak up over her nose to protect it from the windy night. She breathed in deeply and let the warm air from her nostrils reverberate against the cloak and come back into her face. She let the warmth sink in and again breathed in deeply, this time not because of the lack of warmth but because of the wonderful smell emanating from the cloak. It was a gentle smell of soap, herbs, and spice. It made her feel wonderfully comforted, as if she was wrapped in someone's arms.

They entered the castle and Professor Snape said in that short, clipped voice of his, "I'll see you to Gryffindor tower, we don't know where Zabini might be lurking." He seemed to be doing it more out of duty than actual concern for her, but Hermione was still grateful.

They arrived at the tower and Hermione turned towards her Professor, "Thank you," she said to him. He nodded briskly and left before Hermione could give his cloak back.

***

Snape was infuriated. How could Zabini do this sort of thing? Something so despicable and so degrading…even though he didn't get around to doing anything to Granger, he had still hurt her, if not physically, then emotionally. He would have to speak to Dumbledore about this. And seeing the hurt in her eyes…Snape shook his head. Since when did he care about what the students did or felt? Well, even if he didn't care, he'd still have to talk to the headmaster about it.

***

Hermione slowly walked down to the dungeons. She didn't like having to deal with Snape after potions was over but unfortunately she had to return his cloak. She knocked on his office door and heard a gruff "come in" from somewhere inside. She hesitantly opened his door and stepped inside. 

"What do you need Miss Granger?" Snape sighed.

"I just wanted to return your cloak, you left before I could give it to you last night."

He took it from her somewhat grudgingly.

"I also wanted to ask you if you wouldn't tell the Headmaster about this."

"That is not up to your discretion."

"I would appreciate it if you didn't"

"Why?' He asked her, his lips barely concealing a sneer of contempt.

"I just don't want Harry and Ron to make a bigger deal about it than it is. I-" She paused and looked down, "I wasn't planning on telling them about last night. If you tell Dumbledore than I'll have to tell them."

Snape contemplated this for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, I feel I must tell the Headmaster about this."

'At least he sounds sincerely sorry,' Hermione thought to herself.

"If you feel you must…" Hermione didn't finish. She smiled a sad smile and went through the door.

***

"Mr. Zabini," Dumbledore began, "I find you conduct inexcusable." There was no twinkle in his eyes. "I wish I could punish you more but I find Professor Snape's punishment will do, I hope you think twice before acting up again because I promise you, the next time you pull anything, and I mean anything, you will suffer far more severe consequences." Dumbledore stared into Blaise's eyes, and then dismissed him.

Once Blaise had exited, Dumbledore turned to Snape and Hermione. 

"Miss Granger, I know that this must have been a trying experience for you, to say the least. Unfortunately you were out of bed after hours and you performed quite a lot of hexes on Mr. Zabini. Although a lot of these hexes were quite complicated and advanced for your age," His eyes flashed merrily at her, "and personally I think you were quite justified in using them, we can't have students going around performing hexes on other students, therefore you must receive a punishment. I don't feel you deserve detention but unfortunately it is something that I must do since I would have given detention to any other person who was out after hours. You shall receive two weeks of detention with Professor Snape. Since I lowered the detention from one month to two weeks I will also have you help Professor Snape organize the ball as part of your punishment for trying to harm another student."

"What ball?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Don't you remember from 'Hogwarts, a History?' Why you talk about that quite a lot, I figured you'd remember. Ah well, I'll explain. Every seven years a ball is held in honor of the four founders, it took them seven years to build the school, so to commemorate that, we have a ball every seven years."

"Oh, I do remember that now! I meant to ask you when our ball was going to be but it must have slipped my mind…"

"Each ball, a different teacher from a different house must organize the ball so that one year it's in Slytherin colors, the next in Gryffindor, the next in Hufflepuff, and the next in Ravenclaw, and they must do it with no help from any of the staff members. Since this isn't really Severus' forte, maybe it would be best if you helped."

"If I must," Hermione grimaced slightly. "But wait, I'm a little confused about something, why can't the ball just have everyone's colors in it?"

"That's what they tried to do, in the very first ball over a hundred years ago. But you see, the Headmaster at that time, had been a Ravenclaw in his day so it just so happened that Rowena Ravenclaw and the Ravenclaw colors were more celebrated that any other house's. So the school board came up with a new system so that all the founders could get equally honored. There are always descendants of the founders working at the school for their ancestor's house even if it's a distant relation. They are the ones that must plan the ball. Professor Snape here is Salazar Slytherin's great-great-great-great second cousin twice removed through marriage. So he must do the honors. Really it's kind of a silly old tradition but here at Hogwarts we like to maintain our traditions." 

As this seemed to be the end of Dumbledore's speech, Hermione nodded in a glum sort of way.

"Albus," Snape sneered at the older man, "I really do think I'm perfectly capable of organizing the party on my own. I certainly don't need that Granger girl,"

"I'm right here," Hermione interrupted him. She hated it when people talked about her as if she wasn't even in the room. 

Snape merely looked at her and then turned back to Dumbledore. "I don't want her."

"Well, I'm sorry Severus, but you're going to have to make the best of this situation because I've already made up my mind. You are both dismissed."

Hermione and Snape both clearly angry, left the headmaster's office. 

"Your detentions will be every day these next two weeks starting at eight o'clock. After the next two weeks you will come to my office every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at precisely eight thirty. Don't ever be late, or you'll regret it."

Hermione watched him walk away and rolled her eyes. Somehow over the years, Snape had become less scary to Hermione, Harry, and Ron. She guessed that came with age, except for Neville who of course was still terrified by the man. He was so utterly dramatic! She sighed, 'I suppose I must get used to it…' she thought to herself. 

***

"Why do you have detention Hermione?" Ron asked as she made her way to the dungeons.

"Yeah, you didn't get in trouble in Potions today did you?" Harry asked.

Hermione still hadn't told them what Blaise had done yesterday morning. Oh, and she was going to be late if she didn't hurry!

"Can't I explain this to you guys later?" 

"No, we want to know!" They rounded the corner and appeared at Snape's classroom door. Hermione rolled her eyes at her two friends and proceeded to open the door. Seeing that Snape wasn't in there yet she waved the boys in and shut the door.

"Okay, really quickly I'll tell you." The boys looked at her intently. "Monday morning, I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. I guess it must have been just a stroke of rebellion because I then decided to go to the lake since I couldn't sleep." At this Harry and Ron looked totally astonished since Hermione never broke the rules just to break them. "So I went outside without getting caught. Blaise Zabini however, was outside and was completely smashed. He-" she looked down, embarrassed, "He started talking to me and I was trying to just get back to the castle because he was drunk. I was right in front of a tree so he took my hands and held them against the tree and was trying to kiss me-" the boys cut her off. 

"I'm going to kill Blaise!" Ron looked as if he actually meant what he said.

"Just let me finish!" She gave Harry and Ron glares, "I yelled at him to get off quite a few times but he wouldn't. Finally Professor Snape evidently heard me shouting so he came over, gave Blaise detention, and then walked me back to Gryffindor Tower." She of course left off the part where he lent her his cloak and the part where she'd 'hexed Blaise into oblivion' 

"So why did you get detention?"

"Dumbledore said that since I was out after hours I was to have detention for two weeks and I had to help Snape plan this ball thing."

"What! We're having a ball!" Both of the boys looked scared, remembering their fourth year and the traumatic Yule Ball.

"I'll tell you about the ball later, I think I hear Snape coming."

"We're not going to leave yet," Harry said. "We still haven't asked you if you're alright. Did Blaise hurt you?"

"No, be reasonable you guys, if Blaise had hurt me, I'd have killed him already, and then Dumbledore would have brought him back to life just so that he could get a chance to kill him. He didn't even kiss me. I blocked him."

"I swear, I'm going to kill him, still! That bastard." Ron had a particularly murderous look in his eyes. 

"If you do anything to harm another student I won't have any regrets having you expelled," Snape's silky voice said behind the trio. All three of them jumped to high heavens before turning around and acknowledging the professor. "And Miss Granger, you left off the part where you hexed Mr. Zabini."

"You hexed him!" Ron and Harry said in unison looking proudly at Hermione.

"Several times actually," Snape said, his voice still as cold as ice. "I doubt he'll cross Granger again."

Ron smiled, "Harry old-boy, I think we've rubbed off on Hermione!"

"And it's a damn good thing too, if you hadn't hexed him, we would've!" Harry said with feeling. 

"You guys should go," Hermione said and gave them a little half smile at their encouraging words. They left and waved good-bye to her.

"Such loving friends…" Snape said in that sarcastic, sneering tone of his.

"At least I have them."

"What's that supposed to mean Miss Granger?"

"Anything you want it to mean sir." Hermione had no idea what was coming over her. She never talked to professors like this! Over the past day, Snape had many opportunities to give her detentions, but he had refrained, which was unlike him. She expected that she was in so much trouble already that Professor Snape felt any more detentions with him would be rather superfluous.

"Miss Granger, I think you should start by polishing my floor." He waved his wand and a bucket of soap and water appeared with a towel next to it. "When the floor has passed my inspection you may leave." He sat down and started grading papers so Hermione figured that was her cue to start working. She sighed a heavy sigh and rolled up her skirt at the waist so as not to dirty the hem. 

After working for a while her knees started to ache, she ignored the pain and kept on working. She moved on to a new spot on the floor, scooting the bucket over and shuffling her knees forward when suddenly a searing pain shot up her knee. 

Snape heard a sharp intake of breath. He looked over at the girl and saw that she was rolling down her stocking.

"Is there something the matter Miss Granger?" He asked her coldly, his eyes demanding to know why she had stopped working.

"Professor, it seems that I have cut my leg on a jagged piece of stone in the floor." She said all of this through gritted teeth trying to be as professional as possible given the fact of how she must look; skirt a few inches too short, stocking rolled down past her knee, sitting on the floor of a dungeon.

Severus sighed and made his way over to Hermione. With unexpected gentleness he moved her knee so that he could see it clearly in the candlelight. He used his wand to summon over a small vile of something. He uncorked it and was about to pour it on her knee when Hermione interjected.

"Wait a moment! Before you pour that on me you must first tell me what it is!"

"Stop with your trepidation. It's nothing that will harm you, although it might sting a bit."

He poured the potion over her knee, not waiting for her response. 

She hissed in pain, as the stinging sensation started to spread throughout her knee. Snape was kneeling on the ground beside her, his head bent over her knee, cleansing it of the potion with a cotton swab. His bent head was so close to hers she could smell his scent once again, that odd mixture of soap, spice, and herbs that she had smelled on his cloak. His smell could never have come from cologne. He didn't seem like the cologne type anyway. She had to stop herself from bending her head down and getting a closer smell, she must remember who this is! This is Professor Snape! Why would she want to smell him? Hermione was startled out of her thought process when Snape's head shot up, barely missing a collision with Hermione's head. 

"You're all healed Miss Granger. I suggest that you get back to work since this floor isn't going to clean itself."

She wanted to thank him but she knew a rhetoric statement when she heard one.

Another hour of work and the floor was spotless. Hermione sat back and admired her work, looking over the shining stone floors in delight. 

She walked over to Snape's desk. "Sir, I've finished."

Snape looked up, briefly surveyed the work and curtly nodded his head.

Hermione drew a sigh of relief as she walked out the door. First detention was over and she was still alive. Of course, she had a few months more of him to handle, what with the ball and everything but she had resigned herself to her fate.

***

The first week with Snape passed without incident. Her detentions were spent cleaning the entire potions classroom, including shelves, desks, cauldrons and many other things besides. Hermione wondered what there was possibly left to clean as she entered the potions classroom a week after the Blaise incident had occurred.

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape nodded curtly at her. "Since it appears there is nothing left for you to clean in here," he made a sweeping motion with his hand indicating the entire classroom, "you will now start to clean my private study." They walked over to a bookcase where Severus pointed at the floor beside the bookcase and murmured some sort of password or spell. The stones slid back to reveal a staircase. They descended the staircase and Hermione came upon a most magnificent sight. Books! So many books for her to peruse through! She gasped at the sight of it. 

"Miss Granger, if you will kindly shut your mouth and pay attention to what I'm saying."

Hermione, embarrassed, closed her gaping mouth and turned her attention toward what Snape was saying.

"I would like you to organize those books." He pointed to a huge stack of books near a desk. "And put them in that bookcase. First sort them by genre, i.e. fiction, nonfiction, muggle, and magical. Then sort them alphabetically. Understood?" Hermione nodded her head in response, grateful to be doing something she'd actually enjoy. She carefully walked over to the stack of books and reverently ran her hand down all the spines, mesmerized by all the knowledge contained in their folds. 

She sat down on the floor taking down books from the stacks and making stacks around her, planning to alphabetize them when she was putting them on the shelf. They both worked in silence for a half an hour, Snape grading papers and Hermione sorting books, and once in a while, surreptitiously browsing through the books she found interesting, making sure of course that Snape was engrossed in his grading.

Severus was grading papers but more often than not he was looking up, making sure that Miss Granger was doing her job properly. He caught her a few times sneaking a look inside the books but decided to let her look rather than reprimand her. He heard her let out a snort of laughter. "Is there a problem Miss Granger?" He asked her icily. 

"Sorry, sir." She began to sort again.

"I expect an answer when I ask a question. Was there a problem?"

"No, I just never pictured you as a Jane Eyre kind of person." She pointed at the book while looking thoroughly afraid that he might add two more weeks of detention on for impertinence.

"I try to read all sorts of literature, so as to become a well-rounded person," he sneered at her, "Not that you would no anything about the endeavor to become more knowledgeable." 

Hermione rolled her eyes, not saying anything that she would later regret. "I personally thought Jane was stupid."

Severus looked up at the girl, surprised. Most woman loved that book. "How so?" He asked her.

"Well, she didn't even talk to Mr. Rochester about his wife before leaving and becoming victim to a life of poverty! Any sensible woman would have sat down and had an intelligent talk with him."

"But he was asking her to be his mistress!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she had to be his mistress and it doesn't mean that she had to leave. They could have come to a compromise."

"But she didn't want to compromise."

"Maybe so, but she still could have done some things before just stealing away in the middle of the night with no money at all."

"I see Miss Granger, that you are not a romantic at all."

"That's not true. I love Pride and Prejudice you know, Mr. Darcy, so stuffy and arrogant in the beginning but ultimately so perfect for Elizabeth," she sighed in remembrance. "That book makes me melt every time I read it."

"I never did understand why people like that book. Jane and Mr. Bingley are so," he screwed his lips up looking for the right word, "flaky, vapid…I don't know just lacking somehow."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Jane, only sees the best in people, which in some cases, can cause blindness to a person's true character, and Mr. Bingley is so easily influenced by his friends. They're rather…dull, I suppose is the best way to put it."

"I actually agree with you on some points. But you have to see that that's exactly how Ms. Austen wanted to portray them. She didn't want them to be deep and grave. She wanted them to be rather frivolous. And just because Jane sees the best in people doesn't mean that she's blindsided."

"I think it does. If a student around here starts saying that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is just misunderstood, I think that they'll be startled and unprepared to say the least when the final battle comes."

"That is completely different and irrelevant."

"Is it?"

Hermione, having no response, began sorting the books again.

"Bring me the book you have in your hands."

Hermione obeyed and gave him the book.

"This is Krymostiv's 'Magical Theories for the Intelligent Mind'. Hermione gaped at him. She had only read about that book inside other books, she'd never actually seen a copy. 

Severus had no idea what came over him but the next thing her heard he was telling the Granger girl that instead of detention tomorrow, she would have to read this book. It was a rather slim book, she could finish that it one night easily. 

"Now finish that sorting before I change my mind." Snape said gruffly. 

A/N: So that is the first chapter it looks like. I think it might take me a while to update, I want to finish one of my other stories before I write the second chapter. But believe me, there will be a second chapter, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth etc etc.

Review Review REVIEW!!!!!!


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Just so ya know, at the end of each section you'll see: NS which means New Section, I was using the asterisks () but they haven't been showing up when I upload, so I'm trying a new way to signify when a new section starts.

Sorry that I haven't updated this in quite a few months. I had to finish my other stories, and then there was finals, then vacations, you know, the usual end of the school year stuff.

"Whatcha reading Hermione?" Ron plopped down in the chair next to Hermione.

Hermione held up the book for Ron to see. Ron sighed and said, "Why don't you ever just read fun books? Why do you always read something that will 'further your mind'?" Ron looked like he was about to puke as he said the words, "further your mind."

"I do read books for fun. You just don't normally pay attention to the things I read."

Ron decided to change the subject. "So how's your detentions with Snape going?"

Hermione put her book down. "Better than I would have imagined actually. He has me doing interesting things now."

"Like what?"

"Like organizing books."

"You are the only person who would think that was interesting."

"I would think that was interesting," Ginny chimed in.

"See, Gin thinks it would be fun."

"I never said fun, Hermione, just interesting," Ginny smiled at her exasperated friend.

"Fine, so I'm not the only who'd think it was interesting but I am the only one who thinks it would be fun."

"Are you coming to dinner?" Ron asked.

"I don't think so, I need to finish this book."

"Why are you reading this anyway?" He gestured to the book, "Why's it so important?"

"Professor Snape loaned it to me and I have to finish it tonight because I have to return it to him tomorrow at my next detention."

"He loaned you a book? Why would Snape do anything nice?"

"You know, he's not a monster, he is a human being with emotions and feelings."

Ron gasped in mock horror. "I can't believe you'd defame the name of Snape that we've been diligently making a synonym for horrible monster for all the years we've been at this school!" He gasped again, "You are going to the dark side, aren't you!" He pointed an accusing finger at her, though his eyes were laughing.

Hermione giggled, "Come on, Ron. Haven't I been saying all along that Snape can't be on the dark side? Dumbledore would've known and would never have hired him."

"So he's not on the dark side. But that still doesn't mean that he's a good person."

"Just give people a chance once in a while, they could surprise you."

Something told Ron that they weren't joking around anymore. He got up from his chair. "So, ready for dinner?" evidently forgetting that she'd told him only a moment before that she wasn't going.

"Ron I already told you, I really do need to finish this," she held up the book.

"Hermione, you need to eat!"

"I'm really not that hungry. If I get hungry I can beg some food off the house elves, alright?"

"No, it's not alright," grumbled Ron as he was going out the portrait hole, giving one questioning glance back to Hermione before the portrait swung shut behind him.

………………….NS……………….

Severus Snape looked around from his seat at the teacher's table. His eyes fell on Potter and the two Weasley's. Granger wasn't there. "Odd…"

"What's odd?" Minerva asked him with raised eyebrows.

Snape looked at her for a moment, wondering if she could read minds, he then realized he had only thought aloud.

"I just thought the soup tasted odd, that's all."

"Hm, I think it's fine Severus, it tastes like it always does." She followed his gaze to the Gryffindor table. "Is there something particularly interesting going on in that side of the room?" She asked in a clipped voice.

Snape calmly turned towards Minerva, "No, not at all, I was merely making sure the lot was behaving." He raised his spoon to his lips and placidly sipped the soup.

……………..NS………….

_Didn't want to wake you, we know you've been tired lately with detention so we thought you'd be hungry when you woke, enjoy, and sweet dreams_

_Love,_

_Ron and Harry_

Hermione opened the napkin on top of the note with a smile. She ate the rolls greedily and looked at the clock. Three o'clock in the morning. Good thing she'd finished all her homework before she fell asleep! She looked at the book Professor Snape had lent her. Fifteen more pages to go; she couldn't believe she fell asleep with only fifteen pages to go! She always finished books if she only had fifteen pages to go. She sat down and quickly finished it. Seeing as how she'd been asleep since eight o'clock, she'd already had her eight hours and she definitely couldn't go back to sleep again.

Her stomach gnawed at her. She groaned as she got up. She needed sustenance, more than just rolls. How to get it? There was always the invisibility cloak. She knew Harry wouldn't mind, but should she risk getting in trouble just for some food?

She sat back down, thinking of what she could do. She didn't want to risk getting in trouble, sneaking around after hours. She had gotten caught doing that once before, and by Snape no less. But she hadn't had the cloak before. After five minutes of her stomach's rumbling she decided she had to do it. She had to get food; she was so hungry.

She climbed the staircase to the boy's rooms using her wand as a dim light. She silently opened the lock on Harry's trunk, grabbed the cloak, and made her way to the portrait hole.

"Going out so late Miss Granger?" The Fat Lady asked.

"I was never here," Hermione whispered, putting the cloak on and making her way to the painting of the fruit.

Hermione had left her shoes in the common room so she wouldn't make noise on the stone floor; she soon paid for it when the sometimes jagged edges of the stones cut into her soft feet. She tried not to hiss in pain, but sometimes a little sound escaped her sealed lips.

She reached the portrait and tickled the pear, the painting swung out and Hermione stepped into the kitchen, taking off her cloak once the painting closed.

"Hermione Granger!" Dobby screeched loudly in glee.

Hermione smiled but motioned with her hand for him to be quieter.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Dobby said, all the while smiling. "What can we do for you?" All the house elves looked at her expectantly.

"I would just like some food to take up to my room, if that's alright, you see, I missed dinner."

"Missed dinner!" Dobby said in astonishment. "Now, that's no good, no, no, Miss Granger needs her strength! Yes she does…yes she does…."

Dobby continued to mumble to himself as he gathered things into a basket for Hermione.

"Thank you so much," Hermione said, clutching the full basket in her hands.

"No, no, don't thank Dobby, Dobby is here to serve!" Dobby ushered her out of the portrait hole and into the hall.

Hermione wrapped the cloak around her and tiptoed her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

She turned a corner and gasped, startled by the man sitting in a chair near her.

Professor Snape looked up from his book. He felt someone's presence in the room. He quickly surveyed his surroundings.

"Great, now I'm going insane," he muttered to himself.

Hermione held in a giggle that almost escaped at her professor's words.

She wondered what he was doing, sitting in a window seat in the middle of the castle so early in the morning. She shrugged her shoulders and started to tiptoe onward.

She gasped in pain as a sharp stone dug into her heel.

Professor Snape rose swiftly and walked briskly over to investigate the noise.

Hermione was now very scared; the last thing she wanted was to get caught around the school after hours, especially by Snape both times. She didn't care how much noise she made now. She sprinted around the corner towards Gryffindor tower. Snape was running as well. Luckily, because of her bare feet, you could only hear her running if you listened very closely. Her breathing however, was extremely loud. She knew Professor Snape knew that there was someone there; he was running after her after all. She turned a corner and was out of his vision for a moment, she rushed into the prefects bathroom, remembering the password from the year before, when she'd been one, and knowing that they never changed it, she whispered it and opened the door as swiftly and quietly as she could.

He would come in here, he wasn't daft; the prefects bathroom the most logical place she could be. There were no other doors around this particular corner.   
"What to do, what to do?" She muttered to herself. She was invisible still but she needed somewhere to hide, he would feel around for her, hear her breathing.

She suddenly remembered. There was a hiding place in here! Behind the painting of a girl playing the violin, was a niche. She had accidentally discovered it last year. It wasn't anything special really, just a hole in the wall with two chairs and a table, as if people would just drop in and have a cup of coffee in there. It didn't really serve any purpose, or make a lot of sense, but that's the way a lot of things at Hogwarts work.

She made a star pattern with her wand on the painting and it creaked open. She hurriedly got in and closed the portrait with a handle from the inside. She didn't light her wand, not wanting anything to compromise her situation. She sat down in one of the two chairs, waiting to hear the dreaded footsteps of her professor.

She heard the creak of the door and the surprisingly light and graceful steps of Severus Snape.

"I know you're here, there's no use in hiding." Hermione heard him saying.

He walked around the bathroom for several minutes, searching, Hermione assumed, not being able to see him.

With apprehension she heard his footsteps approaching her hiding place. She tensed up when the painting swung open, giving her a clear view of her professor. To her astonishment, he started laughing. Not a real, happy, laugh, but a contemptuous, almost self-loathing laugh. He stepped up into the niche and sat down, luckily, not in Hermione's chair, but in the chair across from her.

He put his elbows on the table and sunk his head into his sallow, bony hands.

"Why do I even bother?" He asked himself. "There's no one here. Did I imagine the whole thing?" He seemed to look straight at Hermione. He held out his hand towards her. She tried to shrink back, but his fingertip caught on the cloak, causing it to slip, revealing Hermione Granger in her sweater and pajama pants with rubber ducks all over them.

She looked up at Severus with scared eyes.

Severus sighed. "Miss Granger, what are you doing? Haven't you gotten into enough trouble lately?"

Hermione merely nodded her head, knowing the worst was in store for her.

"So why are you out this time? Needed some fresh air again?" He sneered at her, except it didn't really work. He was so tired that the sneer came out as more of a deformed grin.

Hermione held up the basket of food and said, "I was hungry," in a meek voice.

"Why weren't you at dinner?"

Hermione looked at him strangely. He had noticed she wasn't at dinner… "I was finishing the book you lent me."

He sighed, knowing that he would have done the same thing. Sacrificed dinner just to read a fascinating book. How could he punish her for that? What else could be done to punish her anyway? She was already punished for most of her seventh year.

"Hand me the basket."

Hermione handed him the basket, the scared look still in her eyes.

Severus examined its contents, making sure it was all food. He handed it back to her.

She took it back, her hand shaking. She set it down on the table, apparently awaiting something from Severus. He merely stared at her.

"Well, are you going to eat?" He jeered at her.

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"You went through all that trouble to get the food, now eat it," he commanded her.

She nodded and started chewing on a chicken leg. Professor Snape reached in the basket, pulled out the canteen and poured the coffee into a mug. He nursed his cup with his hands, enjoying the warmth, and surveyed the girl and how to deal with her.

"….Professor," Hermione began slowly when she'd finished eating after fifteen minutes of silence from both parties.

"Miss Granger," he interrupted her and began to rise. "You may bring my book back today at detention. I will talk to Filch about extra detention for this new offense." He walked out of the bathroom, never intending to talk to Filch. The girl couldn't possibly get into any more trouble. But he must keep up appearances.

Hermione put the cloak back on and walked to Gryffindor tower, wondering what Snape had been thinking of those fifteen minutes of silence.

…………NS…………

"So he just sat there and watched you eat?" Harry exclaimed when she related her adventure to him and Ron.

"Yes! It was the oddest thing in the world. Then he said that he'd report me to Filch."

"Really Hermione, I thought you'd be smarter than that! It would've been a much easier situation to get out of if you'd just stayed quiet and slowly backed away, I can't believe you sprinted!"

"I panicked!"

"You never panic! You know, I think last night will go down in history as one of the only stupid things Hermione's ever done."

"Ron," Hermione groaned good-naturedly as she punched him lightly in the arm. "So I was stupid, everyone has their moments."

"But you don't."

Hermione threw her hands up into the air with an exasperated expression. She smiled, "I'm glad you two seem to think that I'm perfect, but truly I'm not."

Harry and Ron grinned at their friend and started walking on either side of her with their arms around her shoulders.

"You'll always be perfect to us," Ron said to her in a brotherly voice. Harry nodded in ascension.

"Well," Hermione patted both of their hands and shrugged them off of her shoulders, "I must be on my way, wouldn't want to be late for detention!"

……………..NS……………

"That's all Miss Granger, you may go." Detention was over. Hermione was so tired she felt like she'd never make it all the way to Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione was almost out the door when she remembered the book that had been loaned. She pulled out 'Magical Theories For the Intelligent Mind' and approached Professor Snape's desk.

"Ahem," Hermione cleared her throat, trying to get his attention.

"What is it? I already dismissed you," he said with obvious disdain.

"I just wanted to give you back your book and thank you for the use of it." Hermione slid the book across Snape's desk so it glided neatly into his hands.

Hermione started to walk away but Snape said something more.

"What was that Professor?" She asked him.

"What did you think of the book?"

Hermione was taken aback. "I-thought that it was very interesting. Some of the theories however are impossible."

"Such as?"

"Such as the theory about traveling ahead into the future. Everyone knows that you can only travel back in time. The future hasn't happened yet, things are still undetermined in the future, unlike the past where things are set."

"But one could still change the past."

"Yes, but with severe consequences. Everyone whose tried to change the past has gotten killed in the process."

"Everyone that you know of."

"Do you know someone who changed the past?"

"No, but there could be something that no one knows of."

"That's always a possibility, but still, no one can bodily go into the future."

"Ah, but we can see into the future so why couldn't there be a way to bodily go into the future?"

"The only way to see into the future is divination which is, at best, a subject that is highly incorrect and only works two percent of the time. The other ninety-eight percent is people making things up."

"While I don't disagree with what you say, I have to say that the two percent you mentioned still exists. We can see into the future two percent of the time, so maybe there is a way to go into the future."

"Maybe, but you can say that about anything though. I mean, maybe we could find a way to make muggles into wizards, maybe we can find a way to transfigure water into oil or stone into gold, maybe we can find the fountain of youth… These are all highly unlikely things that are probably impossible, but people would think you a fool for even mentioning. It's been scientifically and magically proven that you can't transfigure stone into gold and that the fountain of youth doesn't and has never existed. I don't understand why something, like traveling to the future, isn't considered a fools subject like all the others I mentioned are."

"Because, Miss Granger, it hasn't been proven that it can't be done, there are still people out there researching it."

"But it's just common sense that it can't be done! Time isn't just some substance that one can fool around with, it's a highly intelligent and dangerous thing that one shouldn't underestimate…"

The conversation went on for several more hours about many different things and not once did Professor Snape call Hermione an insufferable know-it-all.

"Professor! I have to go!" Hermione said in a frenzy when she looked at her watch and it was already after hours.

"Take this with you." Professor Snape handed her a piece of parchment. "If anyone stops you, hand this to them and you won't get in trouble. If they question it tell them to see me." As Hermione was walking out the door he added, "And don't expect me to give you one of those next time! I will not be so kind next time you lose track of time." He knew that was a little unfair since he hadn't been keeping track of time either, but when was he ever fair to her or her friends? He shrugged his shoulders and went to his room, all the while wondering how he could always question her intelligence when it was so apparent that she was more intelligent then any other student her age. She could give Draco Malfoy a run for his money.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked this new chapter. If you have any ideas on what to do in this story I would love to hear them. I know what I want to do later in the story but I'm kind of drawing a blank on the next few chapters. I want to include other characters in this as well but I can't seem to think of good story lines of Harry, Ron, Ginny, or Draco. We don't have to use all of the characters but a small story line with a few of them would be good. I'm not promising to use all ideas but I certainly would appreciate the input!

Special thanks to all my reviewers! I love you all!


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Just for the record, I didn't forget about the ball. As I said in the first chapter, Hermione must complete her two weeks of detention, then she will begin to plan the ball with Snape. Sorry if that wasn't clear before.

A/N: I would do the other thing, and not the ……NS…….except I don't know how to do the other thing that one of my reviewers mentioned, (sorry can't remember what you suggested!) I would happily do it if you kindly told me how!

On to Chapter Three!

The last rays of the sun drifted lazily down the horizon, making the light dance on the windowpane. Hermione couldn't concentrate on her book, which was odd, she usually could. She felt like there was something she'd forgotten…Professor Snape's words from two weeks ago replayed in her head, "After the next two weeks you will come to my office every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at precisely eight thirty. Don't ever be late, or you'll regret it." Just as Professor Snape's voice was resounding in her mind, his voice began to resound in her ears.

"Miss Granger, what did I tell you about being late?" Professor Snape stormed towards the chair she was sitting at in the library.

"I'm so sorry!" Hermione gasped truthfully. "I never do this! I just-"

"I know," he cut her off, "You just forgot," he sneered at her. "Forgetting is not an acceptable excuse. In fact, there are no acceptable excuses. Follow me." He swished out of the library at such a pace that Hermione had to practically jog to follow him.

"I'm so sorry," she said again as they stepped, or more like ran, into the potions classroom. "I guess I have to get used to coming in every other day to plan the ball."

"Damn right you'll have to get used to it," he voice was dangerously quiet. "And you will never be late again. Understood?"

"Yes," Hermione gulped, knowing there was no other answer.

"We must start planning the ball now, we have a limited amount of time."

"Of course."

"Well sit down!" He barked at her pointing to an armchair in his office.

"Yes sir."

Several moments of silence passed.

"So um, professor, what do you suggest we do first?"

"I thought you were here to help me Miss Granger, why should I know the answer to that?"

"Okay…When is the ball supposed to be?"

"April 18th."

"Oh right, I remember now, that was the day the castle was completely finished."  
"I didn't ask for a history lesson Miss Granger."

"Right, sorry. So it's late February right now so that gives us approximately six to plan it. Oh, that's not very much time at all!"  
"I knew all of this already, I don't know why the Headmaster thought that you'd be such a big help to me." If it weren't Professor Snape who was speaking, Hermione would've said that he was complaining like a child who hadn't gotten their way.

"Do you have maybe a notebook? I don't want to have to write this all on parchment."

"Does it look like I would have a notebook? Maybe I would have a notebook ready if you'd been on time." Professor Snape sneered.

"'Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge,'" Hermione quoted softly to herself.

"What was that Miss Granger?"

"Nothing, sir."

"You said it in my presence and I would like to hear it," he waited for a moment, "now," he added.

"I merely said, 'Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge."

"Titus Andronicus, Act I, scene 1." He said in acknowledgement.

Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"You know Shakespeare?"

"Of course I do," he sneered. "If you would like mercy Miss Granger, all you have to do is to be on time. It's as simple as that."

"Alright sir, I won't be late any longer. Now what are we going to do about a notebook?"

"Why can't we just work with parchment?"

"It's way to hard to deal with, it rolls up on you and it's just a nuisance. I prefer notebooks any day." She sighed and pulled something out of her bag. "I suppose this must do." She laid out a notebook on her lap and pulled out a self-inking quill.

"Well if you had one all along, I don't understand all the fuss you made about it."

"This is my journal, sir, I didn't want to have to write party plans in my personal journal, but it seems we have no other choice."

Hermione began writing things down in the journal.

"What kind of ball will it be?" she finally looked up from her journal.

"Any kind we want."

"So it could be a masquerade ball, or a costume ball…"

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"No, not really, a masquerade ball would just be where everyone's face is covered so no one knows who anyone else is. A costume ball, you're allowed to know who everyone is, and there's usually a theme which everyone must dress up to."

"What other choices do we have?"

"The only one I can think of is just a regular ball with waiters and waitress walking around serving dainty food and fancy drinks in champagne glasses, no real champagne of course, and everyone in formal wear dancing or sitting at tables or in chairs scattered around the room."

"Which one would you prefer?"

Hermione was taken aback at the reference to her preferences. "I think a costume ball would be fun, a masquerade ball is too cliché I think, and we did the whole regular ball thing at the Yule Ball during fourth year."

"So you think a costume ball would be the best choice."

"Yes, I think so," Hermione said decisively.

"Then that's what we'll do." Snape had chosen what Hermione wanted, but he made it seem as if he was making Hermione mad. It was almost like he didn't want to do what Hermione said but he knew that she knew more about these things then he did.

"What food do we want to serve?"

Snape didn't answer, he got up, and shoved a huge book in her face. "Choose," he demanded.

"Wha-?"

"Choose what foods you want. Every food the house elves can make is in that book," he waved his hand towards it. "Now, choose."

"Um, Professor, why don't we just save the food choices for later…" she set the book aside and looked at him curiously. "What about decorations?"

"They will be silver and green obviously."

"Do we have to order them? Or do we already have decorations somewhere in the castle?"

"The decorations are stored in the storage closet on the second floor next to the charms classroom."

Hermione began writing again. "Does the closet contain everything we'll need?"

"Why would I know that?"

Hermione bit her lip, trying to keep from saying something that would anger the Potions Master.

"I wish," he began slowly, "That you would stop asking me unintelligent questions that you know I would have no knowledge of."

"Well, 'Wishers were ever fools,'" she muttered to herself once again.

"It would be wise, to not quote Shakespeare under your breath to me," he stated frostily.

"Sorry sir."

…………………………………

Dumbledore clanked his knife against his glass, summoning everyone's attention to the front of the hall.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "I am standing here today to inform you of a beloved and excited tradition on the Hogwarts grounds. Every seven years we have a commemoration devoted to the founding of the school. This commemoration takes place in the form of…" he paused dramatically, "a ball." He finished, a grin spread on his face as the buzz and chatter of the excited students began to fill the hall.

"It is a time-honored tradition that the staff here at Hogwarts is careful to keep going. Every ball the decorations change to the colors of the different houses. This year the house that will be represented will be the Slytherin house," and excited cheer rose up from the Slytherin table, "and the founder which will be represented is Salazar Slytherin. Our very own Professor Severus Snape will be planning the ball, with the help of the lovely Miss Hermione Granger." Cheers from the Gryffindor table could be heard resounding through the hall. "The ball will be held in six weeks time, on April the 18th. All years are invited, since this will probably be the only ball which you will experience during your stay here at Hogwarts. Now," another dramatic pause, "begin!" he shouted as the plates filled up with food.

…………………

 "Ron, can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked his best friend.

"Alright," they walked out of the common room and into the corridor. "What's up?" Ron asked, slightly confused.

"I was wondering, could I, maybe, um, askGinnytotheball?" He said in a muffled voice.

"What was that?"

Harry took a deep sigh and gathered his courage. "Could I ask Ginny to the ball?"

Ron looked at Harry in an odd way, "Why would you want to do that?"

"BecauseIlikeher," he said really quickly, hoping Ron would just move on.

"Harry, speak up!" Ron said, getting frustrated.

"Ron, I don't want this to be weird, but I kind of, fancy Ginny, a little."

"You fancy Ginny!" Ron said in a loud voice.

"Shh!" Harry gestured with his hand for quiet. "Yes," he hissed. "Would it be alright if I asked her to the ball."

Ron seemed stunned. "You fancy my little sister?" he asked more to himself than to Harry.

"Well?"

"I—guess…" Ron gathered his thoughts, "I suppose I'd rather it be you with her than someone else, but…"

"But what?"

"Just treat her right, okay mate?"

"Of course Ron, I wouldn't do anything otherwise."

"Course not."

…………………………….

"People seem to be pairing up nicely for the ball," Hermione commented to Professor Snape as they sat making plans for the ball one evening.

"'Pairing up nicely?' What exactly does that mean Miss Granger?"

"I just meant that most people seem to be falling head over heels for one another, love seems to be in the air."

"'If they love they know not why, they hate on no better ground.'"

"Excuse me professor?"

"If you can quote Shakespeare, so can I," he declared icily.

Hermione smiled to herself, 'So he does listen to what I say,' she thought with glee. She had great respect for the man, even if she didn't agree with everything he did or the way he treated people. The fact that he listened to her and hadn't once called her a silly girl meant more to her than even she knew.

She again bent her bushy head over her notebook, making more plans for the ball.

A/N: Alright, so that's the end of the third chapter. I know that not much is happening right now, but I promise, more things will start to happen next chapter and in later chapters to come. Hope you enjoy it! I'm taking things rather slowly because they can't just go from close to hating one another to making out with one another in like five chapters, it takes much more time than that.


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I swear!

A/N: Anything in italics is a quote from one of my personal favorites: William Shakespeare.

Chapter Four

"How's the ball going?" Ron asked Hermione at dinner.

"Oh, it's going I suppose."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"I don't exactly know. We haven't really figured anything out. We're going to look at the decorations in the closet today."

"You don't get to order new ones? You have to use old, filthy ones?"

"Yes."

"Well have fun!"

"I'm sure I will," She said sarcastically. "So when are you going to ask Ginny?" She asked Harry.

"What! Did Ron tell you?"

"No, I swear I didn't!"

"No, Ron didn't tell me," Hermione said, laughing at the two boys, "I just thought that naturally you were going to ask Ginny."

"Oh," Harry said, suddenly appeased. "No I haven't asked her yet. I'm not exactly sure how…"

"How hard can it be?"

"You will never know Hermione!  You will never know how hard it is to ask someone out."

"Well that may be true, but you will never know how hard it is to bear a child, or have cramps, or bloating, or PMS…" She trailed off, watching the boy's horrified faces. She had never mentioned those types of things before. She ate her last bite of dinner, gave them a smile, and then got up to go finish her homework, leaving the boys in an awkward silence.

………………….

"She threw herself under a train."

"Hence the reason it is a tragic love story."

"She's never happy, during the whole thing! She leaves her husband, her son, everything she knows, to go be with the man she loves but still she's not even happy."

"Miss Granger, Anna Karenina is a masterpiece, if you can't accept that then I think maybe you should rethink reading any more from Tolstoy."

"I'm not saying I didn't like it. I really did, I just wish she could have been happy for more than a few weeks."

"Miss Granger, can we please get back to planning this ball? Everything must be ready in four weeks."

They had been working on the ball for two full weeks now. Well actually, they hadn't really been working on it, they had been preparing for it. Apparently, an entire stack of permits for decoration of the great hall and permits for the food and permits for everything else you could imagine had expired and they had to get all new permits, so that had taken up most of the first two weeks of planning the ball.

"Are we going to see the decorations?"

"Yes. Follow me Miss Granger."

He turned around and stalked towards the door, Hermione practically jogging to keep up with his long legs.

"Professor! Sir! She called once she was several yards behind him.

"What is it girl?" He asked her, not even looking behind him.

"Could you please slow it down sir?"

Severus glared at her but stopped and waited for her to catch up to him.

"What possesses you to walk that fast?" She asked him once they had resumed at a slower pace.

"What possesses you to walk that slow?"

"I hate it when people answer questions with questions."

"Do I look like I care what you hate or don't hate Miss Granger?"

She didn't answer.

"Ah, here it is," Severus said as they came to a little, unnoticeable door at the end of a corridor.

"It's rather…dirty isn't it?" Hermione asked after Professor Snape opened the door for her.

"Well, it hasn't been used in seven years, what did you expect, roses?"

"This is amazing!" Hermione said in awe, ignoring her professor's last comment.

She carefully picked through the same of the tapestries. There were tapestries for every house and every house founder. Hermione found the silver and green set. The tapestries depicted Salazar Slytherin's life, starting when he was a small child and ending at his death. There were some plain ones as well, that were just silver and green with the Slytherin crest in the center.

"These are beautiful," Hermione whispered, looking at the moving pictures threaded into the tapestries.

"Come here girl," Professor Snape ordered. Hermione stood up and made her way over to where he was standing next to a chest.

Hermione knelt down and tried to open the box. It wouldn't budge.

"Sir, do you think you could…?" She gestured towards the chest.

"If I must," He sneered at her and used Alohamora to open the lock.

Hermione reached inside and pulled out mounds of silver and green ribbons, bows, centerpieces, magical balloons, everything you would ever need for a ball.

"These are perfect!" Hermione told her Professor.

"We are missing one thing." Severus stood up from his crouch and started shuffling around the small storage space.

"What's that sir?" Hermione asked him, following him around the little room.

"A portrait. One must always put a portrait of the celebrated one at the ball. It's not here," He noted, scanning their surroundings.

"You mean we have to find a portrait of Salazar Slytherin?" She asked him.

"That is precisely what I mean."

"Where would we ever find one?"

"I believe I know where."

"Where's that?" She asked him but he wouldn't answer her.

They rummaged around for several minutes until Hermione moved an old trunk and found a quaint old window overlooking the grounds.

"Sir! Come over here!"

"What is it?"

"Look," she pointed through the circular window at the moon.

"Why are you pointing at the moon?"

"It's a full moon tonight, isn't it beautiful?" She sighed and stared out the window.

Severus snorted at the girl.

Hermione replied by quoting, "_O sovereign mistress of true melancholy_," to the moon.

"Must you use Shakespeare for every reference?"

"Does it bother you sir?" Hermione asked in feign innocence.

"Of course not, '_It is the very error of the moon: she comes more nearer earth than she was wont, and makes men mad._'"

"You always have a counter-quote don't you?"

Severus merely smirked at her.

"Look down there, that's Ginny and Harry!" Hermione waved to them but neither of them noticed. They were apparently in a deep conversation. She could see that Ginny was embarrassed the way she kept looking at her shoes and she could also tell that Harry was uncomfortable with the way he kept touching his hair.

"Oh! He must be asking her, how very compelling!"

"You're not going with Potter?" Severus seemed surprised.

"No, of course not, I would have said no anyway, I wanted him to go with Ginny."

"Then you're going with Weasley I presume."

"You presume incorrectly." Hermione was started to get embarrassed. "I don't really…" She trailed off not wanting to have to finish.

"You don't really what Miss Granger?"

"I, well I haven't been asked yet." The last thing she wanted to do was discuss her love life with her professor. "Well what about you sir? Don't professors have dates as well?"

"That is not an appropriate question."

"But sir, you just asked me the same thing! You know you could go with Professor Sinastra or Professor Trelawny I suppose…even though I detest her…"

"Are you picking out dates for me Miss Granger?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"What ever for, I am not going with anyone?"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm just not, end of discussion."

Hermione knew not to push it any farther. She had done what she wanted to do and gotten the conversation off the subject of her love life, but she also knew that if she continued with the subject of Professor Snape's love life he would do a lot more than threaten her with detention or the withdrawal of house points.

"I think we're done here," Professor Snape said after several more minutes of rummaging about. "Have you gotten everything we have in here down?" He asked Hermione.

"Almost," Hermione said, scribbling furiously in her journal. She had taken inventory of everything in there, they could decide later what they needed to obtain for the rest of the party decorations. "Done," she told him and put her quill away.

"Let's go back to the classroom and look at everything we have so far."

Hermione noted that on the way back he was careful to walk so that she could keep up with him. She was very grateful for that.

They rounded a corner to the sound of fierce growls. Hermione gasped as her eyes fell upon an enormous gray wolf. The wolf stared at them menacingly.

"Get behind me," Professor Snape whispered to Hermione.

Hermione stood frozen to her spot slightly in front of Severus. Severus took a few slow, cautious steps in order to cover Hermione. He reached for his wand but that gesture gave him away. The wolf began to circle them, daring Severus to raise his wand.

The wolf stepped closer to them, growling menacingly. Hermione gave a little shriek of fear as the ferocious animal bared its teeth.

Severus raised his wand preparing to strike but this set the wolf off. He growled louder before jumping onto Severus and baring his teeth into his arm.

Hermione was immediately pulled out of her trance and grabbed her wand. Even though she was in a panic she still managed to get the wolf off of Severus with a simple but powerful disarming spell that threw the wolf back quite a ways.

"Petrificus Totalis!" Hermione shouted in a shaky voice. The wolf immediately froze up.

Hermione sank down to the ground near Severus and gently touched his arm.

"Does it hurt much?" She looked in alarm at the bite marks and claw scratches, mostly applied on his left hand and arm. Blood pored profusely out of his upper left arm.

He gritted his teeth in pain. He was in too much pain to answer her back.

With her wand she ripped the bottom of her blouse to make a bandage for his arm. He couldn't afford to lose any more blood than he already had, even if to just make a trip to the hospital wing.

She hesitated before applying her makeshift bandage. She'd never touched her professor before and for some reason she wavered from doing so. He was now sitting upright. He held up his arm carefully, allowing her a better position to apply the bandage. He flinched at her unusual proximity and contact with him. She flinched at the coldness of his skin. He gulped hard as she applied pressure on the wound.

"Can you walk?" She asked him.

"Of course I can walk, I didn't hurt my leg did I?"

She didn't take what he said personally, she knew he was hurt and he had a right to be irritable.

They made quite a picture, a wounded and bleeding professor headed the group, and then a girl, scared out of her wits, with the bottom hem of her shirt gone in the middle, and a petrified wolf that the girl was levitating made the end of the unlikely trail.

"The hospital wing is this way professor," Hermione told him when he began to veer from the path.

"That's very nice Miss Granger," He sneered, "But I am going to see the headmaster."

Hermione just followed him, it was no use to argue, she figured.

Severus gave the password and was soon girl, professor, and wolf were standing in front of the headmaster.

"What do we have here?" Dumbledore asked.

"We were attacked sir." Hermione told him.

Severus waved his hand to let her know to carry on from his seat at the Headmaster's desk.

"We were going back to the potions classroom to go over a few things for the ball. We rounded the corner by the Transfiguration classroom when we came across this wolf. He attacked Professor Snape who tried to protect me. To get the wolf off of Professor Snape I used the disarming spell, then I used petrificus totalis to petrify him."

"That's an impressive story Miss Granger." Dumbledore told her.

"No, really it was all Professor Snape, he protected me."

"Now take credit where credit is due Miss Granger," Severus said sneeringly, "You performed the spells, not I."

"But you protected me when I couldn't move from fear. For that, I am very grateful."

"I think you could use a drink Severus." Dumbledore handed the man what appeared to be a small glass of whisky. "I think you could use one as well Miss Granger," he poured her a small mouthful of the same thing Severus had and handed it to her. "Just don't tell anyone," he gave her a small wink as she choked it down. It immediately warmed her up and made her feel more relaxed.

"Thank you sir." She told him after she was done spluttering over the strong alcohol. Even though she'd had a tiny bit, it was still extremely potent.

"I think you two should both get some rest, I will sort things out why the wolf was on school grounds. Miss Granger," he told her on their way out, "Make sure Professor Snape gets his arm looked at by Madame Pomfrey." He closed the door as Hermione nodded her head in ascension.

"You seem to have a knack for saving me you know," Hermione said, sitting on the hospital bed with Severus, waiting for Madame Pomfrey to bring some salve for his arm. "I mean, first from Blaise, then from this wolf."

"Really Miss Granger, I did nothing."

"If you say so," Hermione said just to make him happy.

"Severus, what did I tell you about staying out of trouble?" Madame Pomfrey said once she was back with the salve.

"I'm sorry Poppy, this couldn't be helped."

"You say that every time… What will we ever do with him?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll be right back you two, don't move, either of you," Madame Pomfrey told them both.

Hermione's eyes felt very heavy, she closed them for an instant, just to rest them. Severus looked at her sleeping form. Maybe he could just rest his eyes for a moment…

"Now, sorry I took so long, I had to find this…" Madame Pomfrey trailed off when she saw the two sleeping, Hermione in the chair by the bed, and Severus on the bed, she decided to leave them. They looked too tired to even walk back to their respective rooms.

She would wake them up tomorrow morning.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Again, the italics are all quotes from Shakespeare.

Chapter Five

"Hermione dear," Madame Pomfrey gently shook the sleeping girl.

"Mmm," Hermione said sleepily, not moving an inch.

"Hermione dear, did you hear me?"

"Madame Pomfrey?" She asked groggily.

"Yes, it's time to get up dear, are you awake?"

"Yes." Hermione opened her eyes when she heard the receding footsteps of the nurse.

She was so comfortable, curled up in a chair, except she wasn't fully in the chair. Her head was across the armless side of the chair. Her head was resting on the bed and her legs were curled up under her. The bottom part of her was the only part of her that was on the chair; her upper body was on the bed with something cushioning it. She turned her head and realized that she was holding someone's hand, someone who appeared to still be asleep. She turned the other way and saw someone's arm sprawled out next to her. She knew that hand; it was extremely pale but graceful and long. She lifted her head slightly to look into the sleeping face of Professor Severus Snape. She detached her hand gently from his. She must have moved in her sleep to lay her head at his side.

Hermione was extremely glad that she had been the first to wake up. She had no intention of telling her professor that she had slept cuddled up next to him all night.

"Hermione, would you be a peach and wake Severus up? I have to run and do something. Oh and could you put a new bandage on his arm, really I've got to run!" Madame Pomfrey yelled at Hermione before she left in a rush.

Hermione gulped before turning towards her sleeping professor. He really looked much less harsh sleeping like he was. Hermione looked at his face, it looked so serene, so different than normal. Beyond her control her hand reached out and gently touched his face. She lightly wiped a drop of blood from a small gash he had received last night on his cheek.

His eyes shot open unexpectedly at the touch.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing?"

"Oh," Hermione blushed furiously. "I was told by Madame Pomfrey to wake you up and re-bandage your arm."

"I really do think I can re-bandage my own arm," he growled at her.

He sat up and began fumbling around with the bandages and salves.

"Really sir, let me help you…" Hermione took the bandages from him and sat down beside him on the bed.

She took his arm and gently lifted it up.

"Er, professor…"

"Well get on with it Granger,"

"But sir, your shirt…" Hermione was thoroughly embarrassed by now. She had basically just told her professor to take his shirt off.

"Oh, right," he said gruffly, obviously as embarrassed as Hermione. He quickly unbuttoned his white long sleeved shirt and took his hurt left arm out of it. The blood had soaked through the bandage, it seemed that Madame Pomfrey hadn't put enough salve on the wound to heal it over a night. It was a pretty deep gash where the wolf had bit him. Hermione gently unwound the bandage on his sinewy arm. It was more muscular than she would have thought, but not big muscular, he was lean but strong.

He clenched his fist when she lightly applied the salve, she could tell it hurt him immensely. It would have to extremely hurt for Professor Snape to show any sign of pain. She applied the salve and rewound the bandage, her cool fingers gently and rapidly working the bandage around and around his wound.

" '_Frame your mind to mirth and merriment, which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life._'" She told him to lighten the mood.

"Thank you," Severus said coarsely, putting his shirt back on. "Now get to breakfast girl," he barked when she didn't move.

………………….

"Where were you last night Hermione?" Harry asked over his eggs and bacon.

"Yeah, we were really worried!" Ginny chimed in.

Hermione looked at them tiredly. "After we looked at the decorations,"

"We?" Ron cut her off. "Who's we?"

"Me and Professor Snape of course!" Hermione rolled her eyes and continued on. "As I was saying, after we looked at the decorations, we were heading back to the Potions classroom when we were attacked by a wolf!"

"What?" Ginny asked, worry written on her face.

"Oh, it's alright. Professor Snape stood in front of me and protected me."

"Professor Snape protected you?" Ron and Harry asked her, looking skeptical.

"Yes, of course he did. He might be unfair but he still has humanity."

"Okay, Hermione, he protected you, then what?" Ginny asked, trying to swerve from topics of conversation that might cause problems.

"So he stepped in front of me to protect me, I was too afraid to move. He got his wand out and was about to petrify the wolf when it attacked him. He and the wolf were rolling on the ground by the time I got out of my trance and was able to get him off Professor Snape by a disarming spell."

"Good job Hermione! It must've been some powerful disarming spell!" Ron said, beaming with pride at his friend.

"Thanks Ron…" Hermione blushed with delight. "Anyway, so then I petrified the wolf. I ripped the bottom hem of my blouse to use as a bandage for Snape's arm. I wanted him to go to the hospital ward but he wouldn't hear of it, we went directly to Dumbledore's office and told him everything. He's looking into the wolf situation right now."

"I wonder how the wolf got in…" Harry muttered aloud.

"I have no idea, that's what worries me most about the situation. In 'Hogwarts, A History,' it clearly states…"

Hermione was cut off by loud snores from Harry and Ron. Ginny was trying not to laugh at the boys but failing miserably.

"Oh fine! If you don't want to know you could just say so!" Hermione said huffily.

"Come on, Hermione, we were just joking around…" Ron said as he gave her a friendly pat on the back.

"Fine," Hermione smiled and turned back towards her friends. "I suppose '_The quality of mercy is not strain'd, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes_.'"

"What?" Harry, Ron, and Ginny all asked in unison, very confused by what Hermione was saying.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione muttered, suddenly remembering that she wasn't with Professor Snape any longer.

…………….

Hermione entered the potions classroom to find her professor nursing a drink in one hand and a book in the other.

She didn't even knock anymore. After almost three weeks of working with this man, knocking on the classroom door seemed unnecessary.

"What are you drinking?" She asked him as she sat down.

"What business is it of yours?" He asked her waspishly.

"None, I suppose. I was just wondering," she answered, not taking offense, as his petulance was not ill founded, his left arm being severely hurt.

"Rum."

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I'm drinking rum."

"Oh…I never took you for a rum sort of man."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, it's just that, I always thought you'd be more of a scotch man."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know…it just seemed to suite you better."

"Miss Granger, is there a purpose to your babbling?" He inquired after a speculative look at his student.

"Not particularly sir," she answered without regret.

Professor Snape didn't try to sustain the conversation. He just continued to read his book.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked him from her seat in front of his desk.

Professor Snape looked up from his desk, perturbed. "Oscar Wilde."

"Really? I love him! The Importance of Being Earnest is such a funny play. Which are you reading?"

He didn't answer, only stood up and walked across the room, apparently to retrieve something.

Hermione picked up the book and began reading:

"The Harlot's House

We caught the tread of dancing feet/We loitered down the moonlit street/And stopped beneath the Harlot's house.

Inside, above the din and fray/We heard the loud musicians play/The 'Treues Liebes Herz' of Strauss.

Like strange mechanical grotesques/Making fantastic arabesques/The shadows raced across the blind.

We watched the ghostly dancers spin/To sound of horn and violin/Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons/Slim silhouetted skeletons/Went sidling through the slow quadrille.

They took each other by the hand/And danced a stately saraband/Their laughter echoed thin and shrill.

Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed/A phantom lover to her breast/Sometimes they seemed to try to sing.

Sometimes a horrible marionette/Came out, and smoked its cigarette/Upon the steps like a live thing.

Then turning to my love I said/ 'The dead are dancing with the dead,/The dust is whirling with the dust.'

But she, she heard the violin/And left my side, and entered in/Love passed into the house of Lust.

Then suddenly the tune went false/The dancers wearied of the waltz/The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl,

And down the long and silent street/The dawn, with silver-sandaled feet/Crept like a frightened girl."

Hermione finished the poem in a soft voice.

" 'The dead are dancing with the dead, the dust is whirling with the dust,'" Severus quoted softly to himself. "Sinister, isn't it?"

"Very."

"I love him for it though. Wilde can go from the comic lightness of The Importance of Being Earnest to the ominous tone of that poem."

"Not many writers can do that." Hermione added as an afterthought to Severus's musings.

"Here, choose," Severus commanded her.

"Choose what sir?"

"The invitations to the ball, there are three choices right there."

"Invitations? Why do we need invitations? Everyone knows about it anyway."

"Why do you ask these things? I don't make the rules, I'm just trying to follow the rules of the previous balls and the previous balls had invitations. On the invitations we need a theme for the costume though."

"When do they have to go out to the students?"

"In a three days. They need to be out three weeks before the ball, so the students can have time to prepare their costume."

"We don't have a theme yet."

"That could present a problem," Severus said in a barbed tone.

"What is the matter with you?" She asked him, about to get angry with him.

He glared at her and she added a timid, "Sir" to the end of her question.

"There is nothing the matter with me."

Hermione raised her eyebrow.

"You just had to go tell tales about what happened yesterday. It has ruined my whole reputation!"

"What are you talking about Professor?" Hermione asked, genuinely confused.

"You know what I'm talking about." He advanced on her, his finger pointing accusingly at her. "You told all your friends that I saved you from the wolf. Now they are not going to respect me as they used to."

"Respect you? That was never respect, it was fear!"

"You've ruined my reputation!" He yelled at her.

"This is what's bothering you?" She asked with a laugh, "we almost die by a wolf and all you care about is your sodding reputation?"

"Do not speak to me in that manner Miss Granger," he told her menacingly.

Severus sighed loudly and sank into his chair. " '_Oh I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains in bestial_.'"

" '_Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving_,'" Hermione counter-quoted looking Snape in the eyes. "No one is going to respect you less for putting my safety first, least of all me."

Severus looked in the girl's eyes. In them he found an understanding of himself…it surprised him and worried him at the same time.

"Are you ever going to pick a theme Miss Granger?" Severus asked, quickly moving on.

Just as Hermione was about to answer a knock was heard on the door.

"Come in," Severus said loudly.

Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped into the classroom, both of the looked a little anxious.

"What is it?" Snape asked.

"Well," Dumbledore began. "We have some news that could be viewed as either good or bad."

"What is it?" Snape asked again.

"Minerva? If you would…"

"Well," Minerva stepped forward, "we thought we'd share the news with the two of you first, since you are the ones who encountered the wolf." She looked anxiously at Dumbledore who nodded his head, encouraging her to continue, "Because the wolf got into the castle from the Forbidden Forest we have to rework some of our contracts with the creatures in the forest. This is a dangerous task for those living in the castle. Trying to change the system might cause creatures to get upset and storm the castle. That is why Albus and I have decided that Hogwarts should be cleared for a week while the two of us, with help from a selected few people rework the contracts with the creatures of the Forbidden Forest." Minerva paused again, then continued. "We have decided to give the students a week off for a spring break. We've never done this before, but given the circumstances, it is needed and it can't be helped."

"What does that have to do with us?" Hermione asked.

"Miss Granger, we have a proposition for you," Dumbledore said, taking over for McGonagall. "and Severus of course. There is a lot of work to be done still for the ball. I have been informed that there are several things needed from Snape Manor for the ball. I have also been informed that these things will be hard to find."

"And?" Severus asked.

"And so, since we don't think it would be wise to separate you two as you need to be together to work on the ball, we think it would be beneficial for Miss Granger to accompany you to Snape Manor for a few days to find the things we need for the ball. After you have found everything there you both may return early to the castle and work on the ball. It might be advantageous to your party planning needs to have the castle to yourself. No students to interrupt when you are putting up decorations in the Great Hall and such…"

"Albus," Severus hissed. "First you make me take this girl on as a co-ball planner and now you want me to lodge her in my house?"

"Just for a few days Severus," Albus said calmly.

"When?" Severus asked.

"Everyone will return the day before the ball."

"Why should I agree to this?" Snape asked Dumbledore.

"And why should I?" Hermione asked, not wanting to spend time, if even for only a few days, alone with Snape.

"I don't really see that you have an option. Severus, you could never find the supplies in your house without someone else's help, and Hermione, while I hate to command you like this, this is a punishment for your actions a few weeks ago. There is really no reason why you couldn't do this."

"You mean, I must stay with him?" Hermione asked. Albus and Minerva merely nodded and smiled at the two before them, looking disgusted. " '_A plague on both your houses_!'" Hermione cried in exasperation.

" '_An ill-favored thing sir, but mine own,_'" Dumbledore said with a laugh as they made their way out.

A/N: Hmm so that's the riveting end to chapter five. They have to spend a few days together at his house…things will get interesting. More explanations about the wolf in later chapters. A special thanks to all my reviewers, I love you all so much!


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Hope you'll are enjoying the Shakespeare quotes, I certainly am. And as always, they will be in italics…So, on to chapter Six!

Hermione was desperately trying to get Harry and Ron to understand her position.

"Of course I don't want to go to his house, but I have to! Dumbledore's orders," she told them on the point of exasperation.

"Well then Dumbledore has completely lost it! You will both kill each other by the end of your stay at his house." Ron looked like he was about to be sick at the thought of having to spend time alone with Snape.

"Really, it's only for a few days. It won't be that bad."

"How can you say that Hermione? It's Snape you're talking about," Harry said, looking at his friend in pity.

"I know it's Snape I'm talking about. But really, there's no point in carrying on and being miserable. I have to do this, I have no choice, so all I can do is hope that it doesn't go horribly."

The three friends sat in silence in the common room, contemplating Hermione's situation when all of a sudden Professor Snape's voice came booming from nowhere in particular:

"Miss Hermione Granger, get down her this moment!"

Hermione shrieked and practically dove out the portrait hole.

"Professor, what is it?" Panting from her long run down the winding staircase.

"I have a question for you, do you like this better or this?" He indicated a green plate with silver trimming for the first 'this' and a silver plate with a green trimming for the second 'this.'

"Sir, let me get this straight," Hermione set her hands on her hips, "you called me, all the way down here, on a day when I don't have to work with you, to pick out a plate?"

Professor Snape could tell that she was trying to speak in a respectful tone but failing to keep her emotions fully at bay.

"Yes, Miss Granger, that is why I called you down. Now, which do you like better?"

"But sir! I thought that something had happened or that someone was hurt or…I don't know…something bigger than this was at stake!"

"I needed your opinion," Severus's teeth were now gritted, getting angry with Hermione because she was angry.

"This is mad!" Hermione cried, abandoning her respectful tone for a moment, but immediately picking it back up with a quiet "sir," after her brief tirade.

"_Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't_."

"There is no method! Why couldn't you ask me tomorrow?"

"I wanted to choose the plates now Miss Granger, and if you have a problem with that then maybe I can just ask Mr. Argus Filch to add to your punishment, shall I?"

"Sir, don't do that, please."

"Then don't give me a reason to."

"Fine," Hermione took a deep breath and took them from Professor Snape. She turned them around so he could see the front of them clearly. "Which of them do you like better sir?"

"But I asked you Granger."

"And now I'm asking you, sir."

"Why does my opinion matter?"

"Because it does, now choose."

Professor Snape stood there for several moments, pondering over the plates. "I think I like the green with the silver stripe around the rim better than the other."

"I do too. Now, was that so hard?" Hermione asked in a jestingly condescending tone.

"You will never know Miss Granger, you will never know…" Severus's mouth twitched upward in what would be called a grin on any other person, and walked away.

…………………….

"Ron, come on, he did not smile at me."

"He did so Hermione! Harry, tell her, he smiled at her didn't he?"

"Yeah he did Hermione," Harry backed Ron up. "We walked down the stairs to see if you were okay and Snape said, 'You will never know Miss Granger, you will never know,'" Harry did a pretty good impression of Snape and continued, "and he smiled and walked away. Or at least what could be called a smile on Snape."

"You must be daft, he didn't smile, and even if he did it doesn't mean anything," Hermione told her two teasing friends.

"Of course you think it doesn't mean—." Ron stopped talking abruptly when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stopped in the friend's path.

"Malfoy, move out of the way," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Why would I do that Potter?" Malfoy asked in a menacing manner.

"Because we asked you to Malfoy," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"Oh," Malfoy turned towards Crabbe and Goyle and laughed. "Oh, they asked us too, well then of course, be my guest!" Malfoy moved over and made motions for them to pass.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at one another. Hermione tentatively took a step forward and then with more ease started to cross past Malfoy. Just as she was about to be clear from them, her foot caught on something and she fell hard on the stone floor.

She could taste blood in her mouth from where her teeth had bitten into her tongue but she felt a sharp throbbing pain in her ankle from where her foot had attached to Malfoy's. Her foot had caught on Malfoy's outstretched leg and had gotten badly twisted in his robes.

For a moment she didn't hear anything as her body made contact with the floor but then she heard Ron and Harry's cries of insults at Malfoy and concern towards herself.

She could hear Ron and Harry's footsteps approaching to help her up but the hastily stopped when an ominous, "Stop" was spoken by some unknown person who must have just arrived on the scene.

Hermione looked up to see Professor Snape above her.

"What's going on here?" He asked quietly. Both sides started talking furiously, Ron and Harry telling the truth and Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle lying of course.

Professor Snape silenced them with a wave of his hand and a stony expression on his face.

"How did Miss Granger get hurt?" he inquired towards Ron and Harry.

"Malfoy tripped her, sir," Ron answered uncertainly.

Professor Snape seemed to weigh his options. "Since I wasn't present when this event took place, I will give no punishments…however," he paused dramatically, "if anything such as this were to ever occur again, I would not hesitate to detract many valuable house points understood?"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle nodded hurriedly and left in a flurry, grateful to not be in trouble.

Professor Snape looked down at Hermione who was still on the floor. She managed to get up on her own, but couldn't manage to stay up as she fell back to the floor almost in the same instance as she was fully up on her feet.

Severus almost helped her up himself, but thinking better of it, said, "Potter, Weasley, help your friend up."

They hurriedly went over to Hermione and helped her up, letting her lean on them so she wouldn't put pressure on her bad ankle.

The bell rang for class to start, startling everyone.

"Get to class!" Severus barked at Harry and Ron.

"But what about Hermione?" Ron asked worriedly.

"I'll see to her, get to class boy!" he said gruffly.

Ron and Harry scurried away, giving Hermione furtive glances before they left.

"Are you hurt badly?" Severus asked tersely.

"I'm not sure…I can't think…I'm sorry sir."

"Don't apologize."

Severus put his arm around her back and said, "Lean on me, don't put pressure on your left ankle."

"Thank you," she said. It felt odd to be so close to him. Her thoughts were blurry, her head felt fuzzy, she supposed from the intense pain in the ankle. She could smell him again. He smelled so agreeable…she looked into his face and noticed that he really wasn't as old as she used to think him when she was younger. He wasn't nearly as old her father. Her father was nearly 55 and Professor Snape couldn't be more than 39 or 40. Her mind kept switching from subject to subject.

"The hospital wing's not much further," Professor Snape said, trying to sound encouraging, but failing as encouraging is really not his forte. "And what did you mean when you said you couldn't think?" He asked her curiously.

"_My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel_," Hermione said the first thing that came to her mind.

"_Frame your mind to mirth and merriment, which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life_," he quoted to her when she was hurt the phrase she had quoted to him when he was hurt.

Hermione smiled up at him acknowledging that she understand why he said it. He pushed open the hospital wing doors and stopped at the nearest bed.

"Sit," he ordered her. She sat.

He turned around and began to leave.

"Thank you," Hermione called as he was almost out the door. He didn't say anything, only kept walking. The only reason Hermione knew he heard was because she saw his step falter as she said it. She had begun to pick up on the little meaningful things that he did. None of Severus Snape's emotions were ever obvious, you could only see them if you knew him and paid attention to the things he did. She was beginning to see the little things.

……………….

Everyone was really excited. Dumbledore had announced at dinner that everyone was going home for a week for a spring break. He didn't mention the wolf, he just said that this was a one-time spur-of-the-moment vacation for everyone. Most of the older students understood that it meant that the castle was unsafe, but everyone was still ecstatic.

Hermione just wasn't in a good mood. She wanted to see her family like everyone else. Everyone else got to go home, but she got to go to Professor Snape's house. The last place on earth she'd want to spend her vacation.

"Miss Granger, will you please concentrate! We're counting the number of green glasses we have and you keep losing count!"

"I'm sorry sir," she yawned and began to count again.

"What is the matter with you Miss Granger?" he asked her semi-angrily.

"Nothing is the matter with me."

"Don't lie to me girl, _truth will come to light._"

"Fine, fine, who can argue with Shakespeare?" she sighed and continued, "I just wish I could go home like all the other's. It's not a big deal…really it's just trivial, I just got in a mood tonight is all."

They continued their green glasses inventory in silence.

"Are you packed?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked.

"Are you packed?" Professor Snape began again, "for the trip, it's in less than a week."

"Oh, no I haven't packed yet. I was planning to start that tomorrow morning."

"Good," and with that Professor Snape ushered Hermione out of his office and towards the Gryffindor common room where she could get some much need rest.

Professor Snape sighed once he was again alone in his office. "And in a few days, she'll be in my family house… things will be different then I'm used to, won't they?" He asked himself and once again sank down heavily into his chair.

He wanted her to be able to see her family. It obviously meant a lot to her. Maybe he could arrange something….Soon enough a roll of parchment was on his desk with the title,

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger,

A/N: Yep, so there's the end of another chapter. Is Hermione going to get to see her family? Well I guess you'll have to tune in next week!

Thanks to all of my reviewers. I love you all!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I'm very happy with the kind reception I'm getting! Thanks to all of my reviewers, I would name you all but that would just delay the release of the chapters so I'll refrain as I'm sure you'd rather have another chapter than you name listed in a "thank you" segment.

A/N: As always Shakespeare is in italics.

A/N: I just got back from the rodeo, my first ever. It was a lot of fun, although it looks painful, riding those bulls! So, now I've decided to finish this chapter so it's up by Saturday morning.

Chapter Seven

He had done it. It was a surprise for her. In an inexplicable act of, may we call it, humanity? Humanity, that's exactly what it was. She missed her family…and it was because of him, or rather because of Blaise Zabini that she couldn't be with them when everyone else was with their family. So he, Severus Snape, had arranged a meeting for Miss Granger and her family, or actually a mini-holiday with them. They needed at least three days in the castle to prepare things for the ball and he had no idea how long was needed for them at Snape Manor. There was a list of things that needed to be found for decorations and he had no idea how long it would take to find them. So any time left in-between Snape Manor and going back to Hogwarts would be spent at the Granger's house.

He rubbed his head. Hopefully it wouldn't be more than a day.

Should he tell her? Or should he surprise her? No, he couldn't surprise her, and then she would think that he had done it for her, which he had. He really regretted the fact that he had arranged it all but _what's done cannot be undone. _He had already arranged it with her parents. So he would tell her. But he must make it seem nonchalant, like it was not a favor or a good deed at all.

Hermione entered his classroom, ready for another session of party planning.

"Professor, I was thinking…" Hermione trailed off, noticing her Professor's thoughtful look. "What is it?" She asked him cautiously.

"Oh, there's just been a slight change of plans concerning our newly announced spring vacation."

"What's that?" she asked him curiously. "Are we not staying at your house anymore?"

"No we are, it's just before we head back to Hogwarts, we'll take a little detour to your house."

"What!" she exclaimed, jumping up out of the seat she had taken. "Oh, this is fantastic! I'll get to see everyone! Auntie, mum, dad, Joshua, Juliet, grandpa, nana…oh it's going to be brilliant! How long do we get to stay?"

"That's still up for questioning, it depends on how long things take at Snape Manor."

"This is so brilliant, why the sudden change of plans?"

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Why would you think I'd have anything to do with it?" He asked venomously.

She didn't say anything in return, only clasped her hands in delight.

"Are we going to do this or not?" he pointed to the notebook they were now using to plan the ball.

"Of course, sir, I'm sorry, I'm just so glad!" She smiled up at him and then opened her notebook to the right page.

……………….

"I hated the ending of that book."

"What?" Hermione looked scandalized by his announcement. "That's the only proper way it could end!"

"I wanted them to run away together…I didn't want him to die."

"But professor, it was foreshadowed throughout the entire book, one knew he was going to die, he was always sickly."

"I think Hawthorne could have come up with a more creative ending, that's all."

"But there could be no other ending to The Scarlet Letter, it just works that way. Would you really have been happy if they had run away together?"

"I suppose not…the ending just seems rushed and hasty to me."

Moments of silence penetrated the room.

"Everyone seems to like the theme for the ball."

"My idea was kind of ingenious, wasn't it?" Snape asked, seeming very pleased with himself."

"And so humble too," Hermione mumbled to herself sarcastically.

"Haven't I a right to be proud? _Never shame to hear what you have nobly done._"

"Oh for Pete's sake, what would you like me to say? _Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful_, oh great one," she told him acidly.

"That's a start, but I don't appreciate the sarcasm."

"Fine, I'll admit it was a rather brilliant idea. 'Please come dressed as famous couples throughout history,'" Hermione said, quoting an extra invitation she held in her hand. "The students seem to have taken a liking to it. This ball is the only thing anyone is talking about."

"As it should be," Professor Snape said with satisfaction.

………….

"I apologize for the interruption Minerva, but may I borrow Miss Granger for a few moments."

Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes, her lips becoming one thin, peeved line. "Certainly Severus," she said, obviously annoyed.

"Miss Granger, please come with me."

Hermione gave him a questioning look but grabbed her bag and followed him out.

"What is it Professor?" She asked struggling to keep a hold of her heavy bag.

"Oh, give me that!" He said bitingly and seized her bag from her, carrying it easily over his shoulder.

Professor Snape looked down and saw her looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Well?" He asked her caustically.

"_I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks_," she said, not quite knowing what other answer to make but a Shakespearean one.

"Don't thank me, you were bothersome with that bag of yours so I decided to relieve the annoyance from my life."

Hermione grinned and asked, "So what are we doing?"

"The plates and cups just came in from."

They entered his office and Hermione gasped at the boxes upon boxes piled up in almost every free corner.

"Why couldn't we just transfigure the regular plates into the colors we wanted?" She asked him as he began to open a crate. "It would've saved us a lot of time and money."

"The dishes are impervious to magic," he grunted as he pushed his weight into the crate to open it. "In case someone tried to poison the food, the plates have a sort of shield type thing cast on them, all other magic just bounces off of them."

"Well I suppose that would make sense."

"Only to one who's sane."

"Are you implying something sir?"

"I never imply…Of all the incompetent, unskilled, inept things to do!" By the end of the sentence he was practically shouting.

"Professor, what is it?" Hermione asked hurrying over to the crate. "Oh…" her voice trailed off in disappointment. They were not the plates they had ordered. They were silver with a green stripe around the brim instead of green with a silver stripe.

"What do we do? Send them back?"

"They would never be here in time for the ball if we sent them back."

"Then what do we do?"

"We have to transfigure them to the way we want them. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day Miss Granger?"

"No, but sir, you can't mean that we stay here all day?"

"We will stay here and transfigure until every sodding plate is the way we want it, understand?"

"Yes sir," Hermione said despondently.

"Now pick somewhere comfortable and sit."

"Yes sir," she sighed again and sat on the floor cross-legged, pulling a box of plates over to her.

……………….

"Professor," Hermione looked up at him, "I don't mean to be bothersome…"

"Then by all means, don't be."

"But," she continued on paying no heed to his comments, "I was wondering, are we not going to eat at all tonight?"

"No, I gave it up cold-turkey," he said humorously, "Of course we're going to eat, girl."

"May we do it soon sir? I am quite hungry."

"I suppose you know where the kitchens are, given the way we met up a few weeks ago."

"Yes sir," she said, embarrassed.

"Then by all means, go get us dinner."

Hermione got up and left to go to the kitchens.

………………….

"What did you bring?" He asked her, "and what took you so long?"

"Oh I brought some chicken, potatoes, salad, and pumpkin juice."

"And what took you so long?"

"Did it take me a long time? Well let's eat!" She said, obviously trying to avoid the question.

"_It's not enough to speak, but to speak true_. Come on Miss Granger, out with it."

"I merely ran into Harry and Ron, they were wondering where I was going."

"And it took you twenty minutes to answer them?"

"_To expostulate why day is day, night is night, and time is time, were nothing but to waste night, day, and time._"

"Give me a straight answer Miss Granger."

"I'm sorry sir, I don't have a straight answer, only a crooked one," she said bitingly.

"Miss Granger," he said through gritted teeth.

"Professor, I have no explanation, we just lost track of time. It was only twenty minutes…"

"It was not only twenty minutes, it was a complete lack of respect!"

"Sir, please…it was not a lack of disrespect, it was just me, talking to my friends…please I wasn't meaning any disrespect by it."

Professor Snape glared at her for a moment and then barked, "Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to dish our plates up?"

Hermione cracked a little smile and dished the plates up at his desk. He sat down behind it and she in front of it.

…………………..

"Ron, you never told me," Hermione asked as she sat in the common room on one of her precious nights off. "The ball is not very far off, who are you taking?"

Harry began to chuckle lightly.

"Sod off," Ron said grumpily.

"What is it?"

"I got turned down," he mumbled just loud enough for Hermione to make out what he said.

"By who?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know her…she's a fifth year that Ron's been flirting with when he was bored at lunch."

Hermione fought the urge to laugh at the sour look on Ron's face. "Why'd she turn you down?"

"She already had a date," he said sulkily.

"You know," Hermione said eyeing Ron and thinking over a piece of gossip she had recently heard. "I heard that Lavender Brown turned down Seamus because she was waiting for a certain red-haired boy to ask her."

"You think Lavender would go with me?" Ron asked hopefully, Hermione had noticed that he longingly looked at her sometimes but was too embarrassed to ask her without some encouragement.

"Definitely," Hermione said positively.

"When do you think I should do it?" he asked them nervously.

"Now!" Harry and Hermione shouted at him in unison.

"Alright, alright!" he walked over to Lavender cautiously and returned with a bright smile on his face.

Before Harry and Hermione could congratulate their friend Neville practically flew through the portrait hole whooping and hollering in what appeared to be joy.

"Neville, what is it?" Harry asked him.

"She said yes, she said yes!"

"Who?" Hermione asked, feeling very out-of-the-loop. She hadn't even known that Ron was flirting with this fifth year girl and now Neville had a date and she hadn't the slightest inkling who it was.

"Luna! She said yes!" He proclaimed his joy all the way up to his dormitory.

Hermione smiled at Harry and Ron, everyone seemed to be having so much fun with the ball. She was beginning to feel a little sad. Because she was spending so much time planning the ball she didn't even have a chance to think about what she was going to do at the ball. Who was she going to even go with? She had to go, she wasn't about to spend a month and a half of her life planning and then not even see the outcome.

……………………

"Are you ready to go?" Professor Snape barked at Hermione.

"Yes," Hermione put her bags on the floor of his office. They were going to use the floo network to arrive in Snape Manor. Hermione didn't have her apparition license yet.

They were leaving early in the morning, before everyone else.

"Hermione, Hermione!" Hermione turned towards the door, where two seventeen year old boys were shouting her name frantically.

"What is it?" Hermione asked running over to them. Snape just rolled his eyes, not wanting to have to deal with Potter and Weasley after class time.

"Oh good, we were so worried we'd miss you and not have a chance to say good-bye!" Harry said.

"I'm so glad you both came!" Hermione said, truly touched. "I suppose you two are staying at The Burrow."

"Where else?" Ron asked, laughter in his eyes.

Hermione cupped Ron's face in her hand in a loving, friendly gesture. "Tell your mum hi for me, and your dad, and well everyone I suppose!"

"Don't let Snape get to you, it'll be over in a few days," Ron mumbled in her ear, giving her a tight hug.

It was Harry's turn now. Hermione hugged him closely. "I'll see you in a week," she told them. "I'll be fine," she whispered reassuringly, hoping they wouldn't worry too much.

"I'll bring you a chocolate egg back."

"I'll hold you too that Ron," she told him.

"Miss Granger…" Professor Snape trailed off, letting her know it was time to go.

"I better be off. Have a good holiday," she hugged them both again and entered the fireplace pronouncing, "Snape Manor" as she threw her floo powder among the ashes.

She stepped out into a room. Amid the dust and cobwebs Hermione could tell this was an elegant room in its prime. It saddened her to see it in this state of disarray when so clearly it was incredibly splendid at one time.

Professor Snape stepped out of the ashes after a few moments. Neither of them spoke. Snape began to walk and Hermione picked up her bags and followed him.

Hermione gasped as a chair swiveled around unexpectedly. She had thought they were alone. Evidently so did Professor Snape.

He looked disdainfully at the man in the chair.

"What are you doing here?"

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's late so I think I'll stop here for now…hahaha, I don't do cliffies that often, I thought that if I did one now it might be fun. The theme for the ball is actually taken from the movie Never Been Kissed. Famous Couples Throughout History seemed to fit this story.

Thanks to all my reviewers, I love you all!


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I have gotten many complaints about the cliffhanger lol, but I'm sorry that's just the way the chapter wanted to write itself! Anyway, I don't do cliffies that often so you should be relieved…

A/N: As always, Shakespeare in italics

Chapter Eight

"Severus, what a surprise, I wasn't expecting you," the man in the chair drawled in a voice very similar to Severus's.

"Phillip," Severus began in barely masked derision. "What are you doing here?" Each word was carefully said.

"What, you aren't glad to see me?" Phillip raised his eyebrows in a very Severus-like motion.

Hermione was blown away at the similarities between the two; Phillip had the same hair, the same eyes, and the same skin as Professor Snape. Hermione watched with interest as the shorter, younger man stood up from his chair and grinned at Severus.

"Are you just going to stand there Severus or are you going to introduce me to your girl?"

Professor Snape glared fiercely at Phillip, "She is my student Phillip, not _my girl_. Miss Granger, this is my cousin Phillip, Phillip, Miss Granger." He introduced them with apparent disgust.

Hermione shook Phillip's hand, "Nice to meet you sir," she said respectfully.

"Sir? No, no, I'm not your teacher am I?" he chuckled at himself, "Call me Phillip."

"I asked you what you were doing here," Professor Snape said.

"Calm down Severus, I was just crashing here for a couple nights. And then the house elf, what's his name? Like Cranky, or Brinky or…"

"Crinky," Severus told him, obviously peeved.

"Yeah, Crinky, started getting everything ready for your arrival so I thought I could surprise you."

"And surprise me you did," Severus said in a not-so-friendly tone.

"The one thing I don't know is why you're here Severus, the elf wouldn't tell me," he sneered, sounding more like his cousin then ever.

Severus glared at the man, "We are here to find a few things for the ball."

"Oh right! It's Slytherin's turn this year…" He turned toward Hermione, "In my year it was Hufflepuff," he scrunched up his nose in an unfavorable gesture.

"So Miss Granger…is that what everyone calls you or do you have a first name?"

Hermione blushed, "No, it's Hermione."

"Hermione, what an odd but beautiful name..." he said as he took Hermione's hand and kissed it gently.

Severus rolled his eyes. "It's from _A Winter's Tale_," he told Phillip through gritted teeth

"What's _A Winter's Tale_?" Phillip asked ignorantly.

"It's a play by Shakespeare, one of his later plays. It's actually quite a tragic story but my mother loved it."

"I see, well a beautiful name deserves a beautiful girl attached to it," Phillip smiled and stepped closer to Hermione. Hermione took a hasty step back and in the process ran into Severus, lost her balance, and caused them both to topple.

"Sir, I'm so sorry!" Hermione blushed furiously as she quickly got off of her Professor.

"It's fine Miss Granger," Severus said, obviously annoyed at his student.

"You know, I was thinking," Phillip said after everyone had recovered.

"A novel concept for you isn't it?" Severus said bitingly.

Phillip ignored his comment, "You know I could help you find the things you need. I know my way around the attic just as well as you, I could be a big asset."

"Erase two letters and you'd be right on target," Severus answered.

Hermione was taken aback; she'd never seen her Professor be so flagrantly insulting before. He'd been insulting before, but always in a more reserved manner. He really must dislike his cousin.

"Where do you think I could put my things?" Hermione asked, trying to relieve the underlying tension that had just been created.

"Crinky will show you your quarters. Crinky!" he called to his elf.

"Yes sir?" a timid voice approached and soon Hermione could see the Snape's house elf.

Hermione bit her tongue before she could utter anything along the lines of S.P.E.W.

"Crinky, show Miss Granger where she will be staying."

"Yes sir, right this way Miss," the house elf led Hermione away from the two men.

Hermione grabbed her book bag and noticed for the first time that her other bags were gone. Professor Snape must have sent them up before her.

"Here we are," Crinky said as she opened a door. "All of your things are here already, the bathroom is the attaching door Miss, Crinky thinks everything you need is in the bathroom already. If you be needing anything Crinky is always here to help."

"Thank you Crinky," she looked at Crinky sadly but held her tongue, having given up her house elf activist position a long time ago.

"Shall we go join master again?"

"Yes Crinky."

As they approached the parlor Hermione heard shouting, she approached quietly so they wouldn't know she was coming.

"You shouldn't be here Phillip," Hermione heard Professor Snape say heatedly.

"Oh, you're one to talk."

"What if they found you? What then? Am I supposed to cover for you every time you mess up?"

"Isn't that what family's for?"

"Only to a certain degree Phillip, you need to--"

Hermione cleared her throat, "Professor Snape, thank you so much for my quarters, they're beautiful."

"Of course Miss Granger," Severus said tersely.

……………

"This is a beautiful house Professor," Hermione said at dinner, trying to lighten the abrasive atmosphere.

"It's been in the family for generations," Phillip said proudly, "But Severus here's the lucky son of a gun who owns it now."

Severus smiled a terse smile; "I always found it a bit excessive though."

"That might be true, but it's still beautiful."

"You think Miss Granger?" he asked her curiously.

"_Can one desire too much of a good thing_?" She asked precociously

"_To gild refined gold, to paint the lily…is wasteful and ridiculous excess_."

"Sir, I think you beat me this time."

"It was bound to happen soon Miss Granger."

"Severus, I've been wondering something, you mentioned spring holiday earlier. I don't ever remember having a spring holiday, when did this start?"

"Apparently animals from the Forbidden Forest have started to come onto the Hogwarts grounds, they've begun to break our contract so Albus thought it best to clear the grounds of students while revising the contract to ensure that no animals get frenetic and try to harm someone."

"I wish that had happened at one of my years at school," Phillip chuckled, "I would have killed for a spring holiday."

Severus' frown deepened at his words.

Hermione shivered a little in the drafty house.

"Are you cold Miss Granger?" Severus asked.

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine, this house is just a little drafty, that's all."

"We can keep each other warm tonight Hermione," Phillip said, bumping Hermione's foot under the table.

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary," Hermione smiled and stomped on Phillip's foot under the table.

Severus chuckled under his breath as he felt the swish of air under the table as Hermione's foot came down on Phillip's. He had to use very forceful self-control to keep from laughing out loud at Phillip's look of intense pain.

"If you'll excuse me sir," she said addressing her Professor, "I think I'll retire to my room."

"Going so soon?" Phillip seemed to have recovered fairly quickly.

"As much as I have enjoyed your company sir," she said mockingly to Phillip, "I think I must go now.

A/N: Phillip's a sleaze ball or what? Yuck, I feel greasy after writing him…anyway, hope you enjoyed this installment, and now you know who the mysterious person was. Review please! I love long reviews…hint hint, hint hint

Thank you all of my lovely reviewers, you don't know how much you mean to me!


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to update sooner but school just started and it's been crazy! My classes are insane; I have hours of homework every night and that leaves very little time to write so I am extending my apologies to you, my readers and hoping that you accept it.

A/N: Oh and to clear up suspicious rumors, the wolf that bit Severus is not a werewolf, however, three gold stars to the reviewer who thought of that, very inventive. And no, Phillip is not going to try to rape Hermione, Hermione's already had enough trouble with that sort of thing, we don't want to put her through too much! Phillip's not like that anyway, he's just a slime ball, he wouldn't make any advance that Hermione couldn't stop.

Chapter Nine

"What are you doing?" Phillip asked Severus, clearly annoying him.

"Miss Granger and I," he emphasized the fact that no one else was included in this escapade, "are going to search the attic." Severus began to climb the stairs with Hermione behind him and Phillip behind her.

"I can help too," Phillip said.

"Phillip, I think we can handle it," Hermione said, trying to rid herself of the greasy man.

"Hermione, you don't mean that do you?" Phillip whispered in her ear from behind her and gently stroked the side of her cheek.

Hermione shuddered and swung her elbow back, socking Phillip in the stomach. Severus heard a faint "Ugh" come from Phillip and smiled to himself, knowing Hermione had taken care of the problem.

Phillip recovered swiftly and ran the couple steps that separated him from Hermione. "I like my women feisty," he told her.

"I hear Cassandra Clinger is free," Hermione said, referring to a witch who was now in Azkaban for killing five muggles and one wizard. She was apparently insane and kept saying that Voldemort was the father of a non-existent child that she thought she had.

"Cassandra's got nothing on you…" he said coming closer to her again. Hermione sped up her pace so as to elude him.

"I think you'd have a better chance with Cassandra," she told him.

He looked disheartened for a moment, "Fine, I'll try Cassandra."

"I'll send her a condolence card," Hermione muttered.

All of a sudden Severus abruptly stopped at the top of the stairs causing Hermione to run into her Professor and Phillip to run into Hermione. Hermione quickly jumped back from her professor and Phillip not so quickly stepped back from Hermione.

"What is it professor?" Hermione asked him.

"I am simply trying to remember where the light is…Lumos," he said pointing is wand, the tip of his wand lighted up as well as the candles located all around the room.

Hermione gasped slightly as she stepped into the attic. Things abounded. It was immense with generations of the Snapes belongings.

"What do you think Miss Granger?" Professor Snape asked his student.

"I think it's amazing! I never knew so many oddities could fit in one house!"

"Yes, I suppose we do have many oddities," Professor Snape said, slightly amused at Hermione's eagerness.

"Where should we start?" Phillip asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"_We_ shall start nowhere, Miss Granger and I will start over here," Severus pointed to the left side of the vast attic.

"Fine, fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," Phillip raised his hands as if in surrender. He walked out the door, "But I know that pretty soon you'll be begging me to come back to drain the tedium of the task at hand."

"I don't think the tedium will need to be drained thank you," Hermione told him as she closed the door in his face.

"I apologize for his behavior towards you, it hasn't been entirely appropriate thus far, but it seems you've taken care of it," Severus said to Hermione.

Hermione grinned at the slight compliment. "You needn't apologize for him, I don't blame you in the least." There was a moment of awkward silence while both parties wondered what to do.

"Shall we get started Miss Granger?"

"Sure," Hermione said, walking to the left corner of the room. She sat down cross-legged on the floor and started sifting through the mounds of things.

"Professor Snape," she said after a minute or two of looking around from her spot on the floor, "Sir, this task might be easier if I knew what we were looking for."

"If you must know," he said, "We are looking for a portrait of Salazar Slytherin, It's rather small so it might be hard to locate. We shrunk it for storing purposes but it's been lost for a decade or more. We are also looking for a Slytherin crest. It is large so it shouldn't be hard to locate, it was one of the original crests made for the school."

Hermione started sorting through the a large pile of things, "Oh, what a beautiful cloak!" Hermione stood up and swished it around her.

"Miss Granger no!" Severus made a grab for the cloak but not in time. Hermione had already flung the cloak around her and she laughed slightly at her professor's apprehension.

"What? It's just a cloak."

"Miss Granger, go to that mirror over there," Severus pointed towards a mirror on one of the slanted walls.

Hermione walked over and looked in it. Her eyes widened at what she saw, she didn't look like herself. She didn't know whom she looked like. The girl standing in the mirror was very beautiful but definitely not Hermione Granger. Hermione stared at the reflection, she turned her head and instead of the swish of her frizzy brown hair, she saw the swish of long, black-blue locks of hair. She looked at her eyes, but instead of the golden brown she saw deep black eyes.

She quickly took the cloak off. She looked in the mirror to see that she was herself again. She happily swished her curly hair about and turned to her professor.

"What was that?"

"You are very fortunate Miss Granger. Many people have put that cloak on and never returned to their true form."

"Who was she?" Hermione asked, indicating the woman she had become.

"She the wife of Salazar Slytherin. When she died he thought her beauty was too exquisite to be lost. After her death he hired a different woman every year to where the cloak and eat his meals with him. After a while, the woman began to lose their identity. Because of the potency of the magic used to create the cloak the women became Helena Slytherin. The acquired her appearance and her mannerisms. It happened to seven woman in all."

"How awful, to lose your identity!"

A while passed and yet nothing was being found. Hermione marveled at every new discovery. Severus sat amused, watching Hermione find things to charm her.

"_In the springtime, the only pretty ring-time, when birds do sing…lovers love the spring_," Hermione sang the quote to the tune of a nursery song that she couldn't remember the real words to.

"Why did my family keep so much rubbish?" Severus asked to no one in particular as he brandished an old sock he had found and threw it atop a pile he and dubbed, 'things no one needs to ever see again'. The pile included molded food, dingy old clothes, and many magical trinkets that there was absolutely no use for.

"Honestly, why would anyone climb all the way up to this attic to save a dirty sock?"

"_Every why hath a wherefore_."

"I think Shakespeare was wrong in this instance. There is no wherefore for keeping a dirty sock."

"Whatever you say sir."

"What's this?" Hermione asked, holding up a slim book entitled The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. It was incredibly light and looked as if it could hold only one act of one of Shakespeare's plays, let alone his complete works.

Hermione opened it to the middle of the book and jumped back when two people and a balcony popped out of the book.

"_Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable_," the girl sitting atop the balcony cried out to the man residing under it.

Hermione flipped to a different section of the book. Two different characters popped out.

"_Aye truly_," the man began, "_for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once_."

Hermione, now identifying the play as Hamlet, sat mesmerized as the woman, Ophelia spoke.

"_Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so_."

Hamlet spoke again, "_You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but we shall relish of it: I loved you not_."

Ophelia answered, "_I was the more deceived_."

Hermione smiled, as she knew Hamlet's answer, "_Get thee to a nunnery_!" she shouted along with Hamlet.

Professor Snape approached Hermione and the book, giving a slight grin, if that's what you could call it, seeming to recall the book among his fonder memories.

"_When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sight the lack of many things I sought, and with old woes new wail my dear time's waste_."

"Bringing back memories sir?" Hermione asked Severus, glancing from Hamlet to Severus. "This is most amazing professor…"

She flipped the book to the very back, wondering what play it would be. Instead of a multitude of people jumping out of the book, a solitary figure took the stage.

"_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" _the man asked_, "Thou art more lovely and more temperate: rough winds to shake the darling buds of May, and summer's lease hath all to short a date_."

"It even includes sonnets!" Hermione said, extremely charmed by the book. "Where did this come from?"

"That, is none of your business," Professor Snape snapped at Hermione and snatched the book up.

Hermione was startled at his sudden change of heart. Dismayed, she turned back to the task at hand and started searching again.

Soon Severus and Hermione's heads turned swiftly towards the door as they heard a creak and footsteps approaching them.

"I thought I'd come and relieve the boredom," Phillip stood before them.

"I assure you Phillip, we don't need any relief," Severus tried to get rid of his cousin.

"I don't believe that for a moment. And anyway, I brought sustenance!" Phillip produced a plate of sandwiches. Hermione greedily grabbed one and sat down again, munching on the sandwich and searching for the seemingly invisible goods they hoped to find.

Phillip sat himself down on the floor and began picking through things. However, he wasn't exactly productive as he kept getting distracted by every single thing he came across. He played with a magical spinning top for a half an hour.

"Oh I think I found something!" Hermione squealed and produced a portrait, no bigger than the palm of her hand. She ran over to Severus and deposited it into his hands.

"You know Hermione, since you are so first-rate at discovering things, maybe you could try to discover where I'm tattooed." Phillip wiggled his eyes suggestively.

"No thank you Phillip, I think I'll pass. I find tattoos disgusting anyway."

Phillip sighed as his advances, as always, had gained him no ground.

"Hermione, why do you keep rejecting me?" He asked her as he put his hands on her shoulders. She immediately stiffened at his touch.

"Why do you keep trying when it's obvious that I want nothing to do with you?"

"Hermione," he cried, "is it my fault if I can't help but want to feel your lips burning mine? I feel as if it's my right, the moment I saw those lips I knew they belonged to me."

"Excuse me," she pushed his hands off of her shoulders, "I will not permit those thoughts about me, and my lips belong to me and no one else, thank you."

"What can I do to win your love? Just tell me and I will do anything!"

"_Give me that man that is not passion's slave and I will where him in my hearts core_." Hermione paused, "the man who exemplifies that, and who knows where it's from, will have my heart forever."

"Oh I know this one…didn't the Weird Sisters sing a song with that in it?"

"I'm sorry, you could not be more wrong." Hermione got up and started pushing Phillip out the door, "For the gravity of your wrong answer, you have been banished from the premises. Good-bye," for the second time that day, Hermione slammed the door in his face.

"Very nicely done Miss Granger."

"Thank, I quite agree if I do say so myself." She took a slightly mocking bow and walked over to a different side of the room.

"Hamlet." Severus said, quite out of the blue.

"Excuse me sir?"

"The quote, before, that Phillip completely spoiled by his answer of 'The Weird Sisters' is from Hamlet."

"Yes," Hermione smiled at him, and then blushed quite profusely as she remembered what she'd said. 'The man who exemplifies that, and knows where it's from, will have my heart forever.'

For a moment, Hermione's heart jumped to her throat as Severus's gaze held hers. From opposite sides of the attic, she was sure he could hear her heart beating. She lowered her eyes from his slowly and nervously pushed her hair behind her ear.

Severus gulped and looked away, a feeling he couldn't recognize had engulfed him momentarily, but it was gone now. He slowly sifted through several paintings and smiled at what he saw behind one. It was the Slytherin Crest.

"Miss Granger, I think our work here is done." He showed her the crest.

At that moment Phillip opened the door again.

"We're all done here Phillip," Severus told his cousin, "We found both of the pieces we were looking for."

"Well maybe I could stay here with Hermione and get better acquainted with her."

"That won't be necessary Phillip," Severus told him icily, for the first time responding to Phillip's advances towards Hermione.

"She doesn't need to be kept warm, or to find your tattoo, or to get better acquainted with you."

"Why don't we let her decide that, huh Severus?"

"She already has decided, and she's made it clear to you many times."

"What are you trying to say Severus?"

"Stop hitting on Miss Granger!" Severus said as he pushed Phillip out of the door and slammed the door in his face.

"That is it!" Phillip said, "Why does everyone slam the door in my face?"

Hermione giggled as she heard Phillip's shouts and retreating footsteps.

"Thank you sir. I think I'd like to shake your hand for that incredible display."

She came up to him and extended her hand, he took it hesitantly in a warm embrace. The embrace sent tingles up her spine and for the second time that night, Hermione's heart climbed to her throat and Severus was once again engulfed with that unfamiliar feeling.

A/N: Hmm, the first signs of chemistry, what do you think? I will try to update as often as possible, but with school work it probably won't be every week. It'll try to update every other week if I can, but with AP Biology, AP U.S. History, Pre-Calculus, English Honors, Spanish 4 etc. I can't exactly promise. Review Please!

Thanks to all my reviewers I love you all!


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling owns everything.

A/N: So, I realize that it has been years, literally years, since I have updated. But I recently came across some old Word documents that happened to be the beginnings of this fic. I started reading it and realized how much I still liked it. So after a more than two year hiatus, here is the next chapter! It is, of course AU after OOTP, HBP, and DH.

Their clasped hands stood awkwardly in between them until Hermione shook her hand away to draw the hair out of her face.

"Sir, since we are finished here," she swept her now free hands towards the piles of knick knacks in the attic, "are we leaving for my parent's house tomorrow?" She eagerly awaited his response, trying and failing to keep the eagerness from her face.

The professor looked at the enthusiastic face before him. "Since there is much to do for the ball, we cannot quite afford any detours." Hermione's face appeared crestfallen. "For more than a day," Snape added as consolation.

"But sir, how are we to return to the castle before the holiday is over and before the contracts with the creatures are renewed? Professor Dumbledore explicitly stated— " Snape cut her off before she could continue.

"Do you think I am incapable of warding off a few stray creatures that may wander into the castle from the Forbidden Forest?" His tone was caustic, prompting her to drop any questions she may have. He had slipped up, in his opinion. Losing his composure over Phillip's advances had indicated the thing he feared; he was becoming much to close to the Granger girl.

Hermione was slightly taken aback over the Professors new found acerbic tone, but appreciated the gesture he made in allowing her to visit her family. She had not expected anything akin to graciousness from him.

"We will leave for your home after breakfast tomorrow and proceed back to Hogwarts the following day."

"Yes sir." Hermione knew a dismissal when she heard one. She climbed down the stairs to her bedroom, wondering if he would be this acidic for the rest of the holidays. She had let her guard down around him for the past couple days, appreciating his sly smile, if that's what you could call his slightly upturned mouth, whenever she rebuffed Phillip. But the prospect of seeing her family far outweighed whatever doubts the Professor's tone had put into her mind.

&&&&&

"Really, Phillip, you may not help me pack, you may not spend the night, and for the last time, I have no wish to see where you may or may not be tattooed!"

Severus Snape cleared his throat to indicate to the girl that it was her professor, not Phillip, who now stood in the doorway. Upon hearing him, Hermione swiftly turned around and grew a bright shade of pink, realizing what she had just said to Professor Snape.

"Sorry, sir, I thought you were— "

"Phillip," he said cutting her off. "Yes, I gathered as much." He paused in the doorway, surveying her tidying up her trunk. "Dinner is ready." He promptly turned around and made his way back downstairs, assuming that she would follow. Hermione sighed and threw down the blouse she had been folding.

Dinner was a tense event. All of the compatibility that Hermione felt she had gained with her Professor had somehow seemed to vanish the moment they had clasped hands. It was as if she had trespassed on forbidden ground and was now being punished by stony silence that seemed impenetrable.

"_Blow winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow, you cataracts and hurricanes, spout till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks_!"

"Miss Granger, why on earth are you quoting King Lear?" Snape asked, appalled at the sudden outburst.

"Oh, I really don't know. The lines just popped into my head."

"Taking a note out of Luna Lovegood's book, are you?"

"I was so tired of this damnable silence. Anything seemed better, professor," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"So quoting random lines from the Bard is your solution?" he asked, clearly exasperated over her lack of logic.

"Well, yes. I really could think of nothing better. It was either Lear or recreating the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene."

Snape snorted in what appeared to be a derisive fashion, but Hermione read it as somewhat amused.

"Well, Phillip seems to have taken to the silencing spell quite well," Hermione stated, looking over and smiling bitingly at the man. Phillip merely glowered at her and continued shoveling food in his mouth.

&&&&&&

"But it's tragic and epic and altogether marvelous!"

"I'll give you tragic, but you are quite mistaken in calling Gone With the Wind epic and marvelous. It is no Odyssey, it is certainly not epic and very much the opposite of marvelous."

Hermione gasped at her professor, "But, sir, you just don't understand! Any woman would kill for a man like Rhett Butler; tall, dark, a little outside the law…" she trailed off with a sigh.

"Well, Miss Granger, I wouldn't know anything about that, but I know smut when I read it."

"Smut?" Hermione said in a heated tone. "You wouldn't know good literature if it bit you in the arse."

"Speaking of smut," he quipped and raised on eyebrow at her language. "If you are done giving me a tirade about Margaret Mitchell, shall we proceed outside?"

Hermione shrugged slightly and lifted her chin in her form of the derision that Snape was so good at showing. He was silently amused at her attempt at disdain.

As they stood outside of Snape manor, Snape hooked the two trunks around his arm and grabbed Hermione with his free arm. Hermione gasped at the unexpected gesture when all of a sudden she felt constricted and realized they were apparating.

"Sir," she coughed as they landed. "I have my apparition license. I am nearly eighteen after all."

"I didn't want any mistakes," Snape said tersely.

Hermione bristled at the crack at her magical prowess but was unable to return the insult because she was being bowled over by two large dogs. She laughed and shoved them off of her, petting them as she got back on her feet.

"This one," she said pointing to the dog nearest Snape "is Andy Warhol and this one," she indicated the one still rubbing against her own leg, "is Gustav Klimt."

"What possessed you to name them such ridiculous names? Whatever happened to Spot? Or Rover?" the Professor asked as he attempted to rid himself of Andy Warhol who was currently licking his shoe.

Hermione only laughed and clapped her hands, motioning the dogs inside the house.

"Hermione, dear! I hope the dogs didn't frighten our guest off." A woman with surprisingly sleek, straight hair came out of the kitchen and hugged Hermione.

"Professor, this is my mother, Sharon Granger."

"How do you do? It's such a pleasure to meet one of Hermione's professors, she talks so much about you all." Sharon extended a hand to Severus.

"I apologize for the intrusion, I hope I won't be in the way."

"In the way! Not at all!" A booming voice sounded from behind and Severus whirled around to be greeted by: "Ned Granger, pleasure." Ned firmly clasped Severus' hand and patted him on the back. Hermione appeared to get her features from her mother but her unruly hair from her father, as evidenced from the massive amounts of curly hair that sat atop Ned's skull.

"Hermione, why don't you show Professor Snape up to the guest bedroom?"

Hermione made to grab the trunks but was surprised when she looked up to find Severus already carrying both trunks up the stairs. She followed up the stairs and showed him to the guest bedroom.

&&&&&&

The doorbell rang and Hermione stood up to answer it. "Hermione, deeeeear!" An older woman sprung on Hermione while what appeared to be her husband and two teenage daughters smiled and entered the house.

"Aunt Shirley," Hermione managed to harrumph out while pressed against her aunt in a vice like hug, "I didn't know you all were stopping by."

"Of course we did, dear. Louise and Jane just absolutely missed you," she said indicating her two teenage daughters.

The arrival of Aunt Shirley and her family was only the beginning. With an exasperated look at her mother every time the doorbell rang, Hermione got up and greeted another member of her family.

"I had no idea my mother would take it upon herself to throw a family reunion today," she hissed to Professor Snape when she managed to get a moment away from her family. "I'm so sorry, sir, I did not expect this," she looked at him sympathetically.

"Come join the party!" cried Uncle Greg. "Don't stand over there by yourselves!" Uncle Greg ushered Hermione and Severus to the table where dinner was now steaming hot and on the table.

"Now," Uncle Greg began after everyone had been seated. "What is it that you teach our little Hermione?" he pointed his hand toward Severus.

"Well, I teach…." Severus trailed off, realizing that he could not let them know his true subject, "Shakespeare."

"Shakespeare!" laughed Aunt Mallory, Greg's wife. "Hermione could use a few lessons in Shakespeare, maybe it would help stir up her love life!" Mallory winked at Hermione as she turned a lovely shade of red.

"Now, now Mallory. Don't be hard on the girl" Aunt Shirley exclaimed, "I bet you she's made one of those boys her boyfriend, right?" Aunt Shirley looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Which boys?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Well, you're just always going on and on about these Harry and Ron boys. You must be dating one of them?"

If it was possible Hermione blushed an even deeper shade of red, a shade most would consider inhuman.

"I am not dating either of them, no."

"But surely, you must have feelings for one?" Aunt Mallory asked.

Hermione's dad chimed in, "I think she should date Ron, myself. He seems like such a nice, fun fellow."

"Oh no, Ned. Really, she should date Harry. He seems almost chivalrous from what Hermione tells us," she finished in an explanatory note in Professor Snape's direction.

"Oh we've seen pictures!" Louise giggled. Her sister, Jane piped up, "we think Harry's much cuter than Ron. Date him, Hermione!"

"Oh I think I saw her blush a little when we said Ron's name. She must fancy him!"

"No no, Shirley, you have it wrong. She clearly blushed deeper when Jane mentioned Harry. I can tell these things, they'll soon be together."

"Excuse me!" Hermione raised her voice slightly and everyone turned expectantly toward her. "Can I date neither of them?"

"Dear, if you are constantly with these two boys, you must have feelings for one of them…" Shirley trailed off at the end, as if what she said was just common sense.

"Really, everyone, I'm not going to date Harry or Ron."

"You're not interested in them? Oh my. Don't worry dear, your cousin Katherine prefers women as well. We'll have to get you two together for coffee, I've heard it's not an easy lifestyle..."

Hermione cut her off while Professor Snape smirked. "No, Aunt Mallory, I'm not a lesbian. I really prefer the company of men, thank you. But you can't expect me to date Harry or Ron, they're like my brothers!"

"But it just makes sense that you would date at least one of them…."

"_Tell me, where is fancy bred? In the heart or in the head_?" the Professor's silky voice rose in the air and quieted the family's gossip. "It appears to me that Miss Granger has made her decision concerning the two boys in question. As Shakespeare so eloquently tells us, you cannot control who you do or do not fancy. Perhaps we should move to a less…explosive topic."

Hermione shot her professor a look of pure gratitude.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I just moved to Italy so things have been slightly crazy. Anyway, one reviewer commented on a few inconsistencies in the story – I apologize profusely! I should've been more careful, but it's been a long time since I began the story so I apologize if a few things don't seem to line up. About the confusion when our friends Severus and Hermione were transfiguring the plates – the point was that they had to order plates instead of transfiguring the plates that Hogwarts already owned, the ones they regularly use are impervious to magic. However, the new plates the order aren't. Anyway, I hope that clears things up. Another reviewer asked where I get my quotes, they are entirely from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. Enjoy!

………………………

"I want ice cream."

"Excuse me?"

"Ice cream. I would like some."

Professor Snape sighed. "Miss Granger, can you not concentrate on the task at hand?"

This was their second day back at Hogwarts. It was odd that the castle was so empty. They had run into Dumbledore and McGonagall a few times. Dumbledore had Snape pulled away from their work on the ball once or twice to help with a few of the more sensitive contracts. So far, all had been well. Initially, they were only supposed to spend three days in the castle, but since finding the artifacts at Snape Manor had taken so little time, they had five days to kill without any distractions from students.

"Sir, we've been counting teacups for the past two hours."

"Are we done counting them yet?"

"No."

"Then why are you speaking?"

Hermione paused. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Snape asked tersely.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Is it about ice cream?"

"No."

"Then what is it Miss Granger?"

Hermione scribbled something on her parchment and then looked up at her professor. "It's about ice cream."

Snape threw his quill down and sighed heavily, "you said it wasn't about ice cream."

"I lied."

"Must you have ice cream, now?"

"It's a rather strong craving, sir."

"Well then, by all means, leave your work and go eat ice cream."

Hermione grinned and left the room for the kitchens, noting the sarcasm but choosing to ignore it.

She reappeared ten minutes later with ten trays of ice cream floating in front of her.

"Miss Granger! You cannot eat all of that ice cream, I refuse to roll you out of the room after you have done so."

"They're not for me. I didn't ask you what flavor you wanted, so I brought options for you," she flicked her wand so that the soaring ice creams landed gently on desk in front of her professor.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want ice cream?"

"No, it really hadn't. Who would choose to miss out on the wonder that is ice cream? So which kind will it be?"

"Do I have a choice or will you pester me until I eat one?"

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that."

Professor Snape sighed and picked a bowl.

"Duly noted, your favorite ice cream is pumpkin-snickle." Hermione smiled and grabbed a bowl herself.

They finished their ice cream in relative silence.

"Since this was your inspired idea, what do you propose we do with the rest of the ice cream?"

"Oh I'll take them back now, I suppose." Hermione reached for her wand to float the ice cream in front of her on the way back to the kitchens, but when she looked up again, the ice cream was already afloat. She looked quizzically at her professor.

"Well, there's no sense in you going alone," Hermione looked slightly taken aback by his thoughtfulness. "Dumbledore wouldn't approve of me not accompanying you when we're still unsure of our footing with some of the creatures," he added as a safe afterthought.

As they rounded a corner on their way to the kitchen, the Professor stopped suddenly, making Hermione run into him. She let out a little harrumph while straightening her clothes. Her heart quickened when Snape grabbed her arm and held his finger to her lips while peering around the corner.

He lowered is head towards hers. "I can hear centaurs just around the corner," he whispered in her ear. "They sound angered. You, go back to my study. If I don't return in thirty minutes, find Dumbledore." Without a backwards glance or a nod of ascension from Hermione, he stealthily made his way towards the ruckus.

Not listening to his warning, Hermione snuck around the corner with her wand poised and ready.

"What seems to be the problem?" She heard Snape's silky voice as the centaurs quieted.

"Are your people ready for war?" shouted an angry centaur from the middle of the pack.

"We have no wish to go to war with you. Dumbledore only wishes to renew the contracts with your people. We do not want to change anything. We have been peaceable with each other for a long time. You still will have reign of the forest, we only wish to renew the old contract."

Hermione had been intently listening to Snape's speech, so intently that she gasped slightly as Dumbledore tapped her arm.

"Miss Granger, I assume Severus wanted you to leave the premises?" Hermione nodded at the headmaster. "Well, I suppose you can't blame a girl for being curious. But really Miss Granger, everything will be fine, I'm here to help Severus now. You must go back to the Potions study, I suspect Severus would be disinclined to be friendly towards you if he found out you disobeyed him." With a wink and a slight shove, Dumbledore sent Hermione back to the study while he made his way towards the centaurs.

&&&&&

Severus came back into the study several hours later. He found Hermione asleep on the floor surrounded by spoons. Evidently she had finished inventorying the teacups and had now moved on to the silverware. On his desk was a glass of whisky she had seemingly poured for his return. He gratefully swung the alcohol down and gracelessly plopped into his chair.

He looked at the sleeping girl; her unruly hair had mostly escaped the clip that had been holding it back and she was using her bookbag as a make-shift pillow. What an odd image: a sleeping girl with cascades of hair surrounded by spoons and parchment.

"Wingardium leviosa," Severus spoke quietly, pointing his wand at Hermione. He levitated the girl out of his study and began the trek to Gryffindor tower.

"Password?" the fat lady asked, eyeing the professor and the girl.

"Just let me in," Snape whispered irritably. "You know us and Dumbledore are the only people here."

"Sorry, sir. Can't do that. Orders are orders. I've guarded this door for more than fifty years," she laughed coyly, "you just can't expect me to let anyone willy nilly walk in, can you?" she played with her hair.

"And what, am I supposed to guess the password?" Severus seethed. "This is utterly mad! I feel like I've gone down the rabbit hole!"

"Rabbit-hole! You've got it!" And with that the portrait swung open.

Severus, still grumbling made his way through the portrait hole and not knowing which staircase led to which dormitory chose one at random.

&&&&&&&&

"Professor," Hermione roused Severus Snape's sleeping form from the armchair in the common room of Gryffindor Tower.

He tilted his head and looked at her. "I thought I heard you," he said groggily.

Hermione laughed lightly, "and I suppose when you heard me you were ready to shout, '_By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes._'"

"It was on the tip of my tongue."

"Sir," Hermione trailed off as she sat down in a chair close to his.

"What is it, girl?"

"May I ask why you are in my common room? And why I awoke in the boy's dormitory?"

"No, you may not. Now hurry along and get ready. I expect you in my study in an hour." And with that the Professor swept through the portrait hole and into the hall.

Hermione grumbled about evasive men and odd occurrences on her way to her dormitory.

&&&&&&&

It was foolish of him to have slept in Gryffindor Tower. Even though his only intention was to stay in the common room to keep an eye on things; the centaurs had been fairly angry and even though Dumbledore had managed to renew the contract, the centaurs were still unhappy. But really, they were rarely happy anyway.

"Pray tell," Hermione began once she had opened the study door, "why you are in a foul mood."

"Foul mood?"

"Yes. You seem to be in a mood."

"In a mood," Snape sneered at her. "In a mood. Please, maybe you should venture a guess as to why I'm, as you put it, 'in a mood.'"

"Because a team of centaurs stormed the castle last night."

"Oh no, it's not that at all. I find that completely normal and entirely not worrisome."

"I see your point," Hermione said, attempting to deflect the sarcasm. Professor Snape chose to do no such thing.

"I'm glad your shot-in-the dark guess was so incredibly off base. Why would that ever upset me? A team of angered centaurs?"

"Pish-posh," Hermione said with a grin, deciding to join in on the bit Snape was playing. "Angry centaurs," she waved her hand in a devil-may-care fashion, "who's frightened by them? Not us, I can tell you that."

Professor Snape turned around to hide his slight grin, but Hermione could still see it in his eyes when he turned back around to face her.

"Now, professor, I made a list of the things we still need to get done before the ball," she paused noting how fast these past weeks had gone. A few weeks of detention, a few weeks planning the ball, a week of vacation, and now a little over week until the ball.

While Hermione blathered on about all the things that needed to be done in preparation, Severus noted the sunlight in the window behind the girl. Most people assumed that his study was in the dungeon, since that's where the potions classroom and the Slytherin common room were, but in fact, his study was slightly above the dungeon, affording Severus a beautiful view of the grounds. The sunlight bounced through the window in a lovely stream and rested on Miss Granger's hair; big and bushy, yes, not conventionally beautiful, but it reflected her personality: big and somewhat frazzled, but oddly gorgeous in its flaws. The man turned abruptly.

Hermione looked up from her parchment, startled at Snape's sudden movement. "Is everything all right, sir?"

"Yes, let's just get on with it."

&&&&&&&&&

"Will you open the door?" Hermione heaved from inside the storage close. She was carrying an assortment of books, parchment, and a few odd decorations.

"Don't get persnickety with me, Miss Granger."

"I wasn't getting persnickety, _sir_," Hermione countered while almost popping the vein in her temple as Snape stood at the door.

"Just drop whatever it is that you're holding; the door is jammed."

With a harrumph Hermione dropped what she was holding onto the stone floor with a loud clang. "I am not persnickety."

"You were a little persnickety," Professor Snape muttered as he tried the door handle again. "Alohamora," he pointed his wand at the door. Nothing happened.

Hermione harrumphed again.

"Now who's in a mood," Snape raised one eyebrow at the girl behind him.

"Maybe if we weren't trapped in this god-forsaken closet then I wouldn't be so difficult."

"Are you ever not difficult?"

"Are you going to open the door?"

"Weren't you the girl who stated that she doesn't appreciate it when her questions are answered with a question?"

"Weren't you the man who bragged about his magical dexterity on oh so many occasions, and are you now stumped by a mere doorjamb?" she replied bitingly.

"Why do you insist on vexing me?"

"Why do you insist on asking to be vexed?"

"This circularity is getting a little too Lewis Carroll for me."

Hermione grinned smugly at her triumph. She had made him break the question pattern. She knew it wasn't much, but the fact that he had let her win meant something. Maybe not much, but it meant something.

"Why won't this damned door open?" Snape muttered as he turned back towards the door and shook the knob.

"I read, in _Hogwarts: a History,_ that sometimes the doors get tired of opening and closing for every person that comes through and so every now and again the doors refuse to open."

"Did the book manage to explain how to fix the problem?"

"Honestly, you don't need to get persnickety, professor." The man merely glared at her. Hermione grinned and said, "it said that it usually it passes in a few minutes."

"Well, I'm not prepared to wait that long," the professor muttered something under his breath and all of a sudden the door to the storage room blew violently away from its hinges and a loud grunt was heard.

"Professor! I think you hit someone!" Hermione ran out of the closet to find Dumbledore, glasses askew, trapped on the floor by the door.

"Severus, old boy! Still got that old can-do spirit, I see," Dumbledore grinned and adjusted his glasses with his free hand.

"Albus," Severus said rather too loudly as he ran over to where Dumbledore was trapped.

Hermione bit back a giggle and looked at both of her professors questioningly.

"Why are you staring, Miss Granger?" Snape asked acidly.

"Well, aren't you going to get the door off of him, sir?"

"Oh," Snape muttered "well, yes…" the professor turned away from Hermione and muttered the spell, freeing Dumbledore. It was one of the only times in her life Hermione had seen her Potions master at a loss. "I am so sorry Albus, I had no idea you were there," Snape apologized as he helped Dumbledore to his feet.

"It's quite all right," Dumbledore dusted himself off, "I seem to be all right, everything's in the right place and all. Well, you two seem to be getting along rather nicely!"

Severus and Hermione looked oddly at the man standing in front of them before giving each other a slow glance.

"I suppose so," Severus trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

"Now, Miss Granger, tell me, who is taking you to the ball?"

Hermione looked down and blushed. She was sure everyone else had dates by now. She might be someone's last minute, desperate, nothing-on-the-line, I-must-get-a-date, date. But that didn't sound appealing. "Oh Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said as nonchalantly as she could, "I don't have a date," she waved her hand in the air as if to say 'it really doesn't matter.'

"You don't have a date?" Snape asked her incredulously.

"Well excuse me! Maybe if I hadn't been planning this damned thing with you this whole time, someone would've asked me!" she gasped as she saw Snape's face harden at her words. "I'm sorry," she stammered a moment later. "I didn't mean…"

"I just thought one of those lemmings you call friends wouldn't want you to be alone. But apparently they don't even care that much about you."

Dumbledore, apparently choosing to ignore the fight that was commencing, grabbed Hermione and Severus convivially by the arm, "Of course! This is perfect. You two will go together. The organizers of the ball, it'll be quite something. You both may have the first dance as a reward for all your hard work."

"No, Professor"

"Really, Albus, I most protest."

"Oh no sense in arguing, it's the perfect solution!"

"Albus, I don't know if it would be entirely appropriate…"

"To what, dance? I'll dance with Miss Granger right now!" with that he took her hand and gave her a little spin. Hermione laughed softly at the oddity of it all, dancing with her headmaster. As Dumbledore gave her a little dip, she caught Severus's eye. She saw coldness, harshness, the things she had learned to look past. But also there was something she hadn't seen before – apprehension.

"See Severus, nothing to worry about. It's a perfect reward for all your hard work." And with that decided, Dumbledore waved his wand and set the storage door back on its hinges and walked away, leaving Hermione and Severus alone again.


End file.
